The Day Before The Day
by InsaneMelon
Summary: COMPLETE Gibbs had always known that Tony would make a damn fine investigator. Even before they met again in Baltimore..." Pre-Series/slightly AU, Gibbs/Tony, Father/Son
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer**: NCIS is not mine! Never will be! Please don't sue me, I don't have money!_

_**Season:** None, Pre-series, AU_

_**Warnings:** Violence and scenes of child abuse, although it won't be the hard stuff / nothing too graphic_

_**Rating:** T for language and later violence_

_**A/N**: My first attempt at NCIS fic! This idea wouldn't leave me alone! It describes how Tony and Gibbs met before Baltimore but it's not your average Kid/Tony meets Gibbs story..at least I hope so!^^_

_Feedback is essential and reviews are gonna be worshipped!_

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~The Day Before The Day~

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Chapter 01

Anthony DiNozzo jr. stood in front of his father and let his gaze wander through the large room that his father used as a office. His eyes took everything in, although he had seen those things several times before. The huge oak desk with the many business papers that were spread all over the tabletop. The bookshelfs and the many classics like_ 'Moby Dick'_ or Shakespeare's _'Hamlet'._ Books that only served as a decoration, since his father never read anything else than business reports and the newspaper. Tony even tried to count the floorboards although that seemed like a really stupd thing to do right now. But the boy would have done everything if it meant that he wouldn't have to look at the man in front of him.

Anthony DiNozzo sr. could be an intimidating man if he wanted to. Like he was now.

His gaze was cold and calculating. The arms were folded behind his back, which caused his Armani suit to span over his chest and accentuate the muscles that were hidden beneath it. DiNozzo sr. looked like a man that was about to explode.

During the 12 years of his life, Tony had never seen the man any different and he was growing rather bored of the sight. Oh, it still scared him, but it was a fear that he was getting used to. Tony wasn't stupid. He knew that that was probably a bad sign.

Fear made sure that you stayed observant. Fear stopped you from making mistakes.

Had Tony been a little bit more affraid, then maybe he wouldn't have missed the important dinner with his fathers colleagues last night. And maybe he wouldn't have to stand in his office this morning, in his school uniform and in front of his fuming father.

"Do you have anything to say?"

Tony contemplated telling his father why he'd been late. That Jimmy Nixon had begged him to walk him home because some older kids were trying to beat the shit out of him. That he'd been involved in a fight while he'd tried to protect little Jimmy. That Jimmy's mother had made him a cup of cocoa, and wouldn't let him leave her house until she could be sure that the bullies were gone. He really wondered if he should tell his father, but abandoned the idea almost immediately.

His father wouldn't care about little, scared Jimmy, or about the bruises on Tony's arm where one of the older kids had grabbed him. DiNozzo sr. would see it as a sign of weakness to help others. And DiNozzo's didn't show weakness.

But above all, Tony didn't want to see the disappointment in his father's face where Jimmy's mother, a total stranger, had shone with pride and love.

So he just shook his head in silent defeat.

"No."

His father's backhand collided with Tony's cheek rather hard but Tony caught himself before he could fall to his knees. His cheek was bruning, but Tony resisted the urge to reach up and rub at it and kept his gaze on the floor.

God, how could he have forgotten? He must have been more tired than he'd thought...or maybe he just really wasn't afraid anymore. And he certainly should be...

"No, _Sir_!"

His father huffed angrily at the sullen tone but didn't lash out again. Instead he turned his back on the boy and held one of his infamous _'You have to act __more responsible'_ speeches.

Tony tried to block him out, but his father's voice had always been penetrating. Like it was coming from many various loudspeakers all over the room.

"This dinner was important Anthony. One day, you'll take over the family business and you need to socialize with the right people. I can't use a heir who doesn't take his duties seriously, do you understand? I won't tolerate such a behaviour any longer."

"Yes, Sir."

Tony cringed at his own voice. It sounded so clinical and emotionless. He sounded like a roboter.

A couple of years back, when Tony had been younger and more innocent, he would pretend that he was a roboter from outer space, who tried to copy emotions from the real humans around him. He had driven his nanny insane with his stiff walk and the strange noises he'd made all day long. Back then, Tony had loved the game and the idea behind it. He'd thought that it was funny.

It just didn't seem quite as funny anymore.

"You can go now. Don't be late for school."

His father didn't turn around when he dismissed his son and Tony was grateful for that. It was so much easier to deal with the man's back than with his eyes.

He hushed out of the office and stopped in the hallway for a few shaky breaths. Tony knew that it was ridiculous, but sometimes he was sure that the air in his father's office was different than the air that the rest of the world breathed. More heavy. More oppressive.

Everytime he left that room, it felt like someone lifted a huge burden from his shoulders.

He hated that office and dreaded the day that it would belong to him.

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Rose, the oldest house maid in the DiNozzo household, was already waiting for him when he reached the front door, his school bag clutched in her wrinkled hands.

He was momentarily confused by the odd look that she was giving him but then remembered the little scene in the office. His cheek must have turned bright red by now. Maybe it would even leave a bruise. He realized that it hurt a little but not enough to bother him. He was used to pain by now.

And he knew that that was _definitely_ not a good sign.

The boy plastered a big sunny smile on his face that always seemed to distract people from his wounds.

"Good morning Rose."

"Good morning Tony." The smile became a little bit more genuine. Tony liked Rose. She was the only one in this house that didn't call him 'Anthony' or 'Sir', and who treated him like the kid he was.

Although that could be quite annoying sometimes.

"Did you brush your teeth? And what did you eat for breakfast? You _did_ eat something, right? You are too skinny Tony, that can't be healthy."

Tony groaned good-naturedly. He liked Rose, but when she was in mother hen mode, you better gave her a wide berth.

"Relax! I brushed my teeth and ate breakfast. Everything is peachy in Tony-land." He brushed past her and jogged backwards to be able to wave at her. "See you later."

"Ah Tony!" The urgent call made him stop and look back. Rose stood in the doorway and shifted from one foot to another before she smiled wearily at him. "Don't forget the business dinner tonight. Come straight home."

Tony's good mood vanished but his smile didn't.

"Don't worry. I won't forget it."

He turned around and ran the next few blocks. He only slowed down when his father's estate wasn't in sight anymore.

How could he forget? They had one of those damn buisness dinners almost every night since Tony'd turned twelve. His father wanted him to gather experience for the day that he would lead 'DiNozzo Enterprises'. While other kids were outside, playing football, Tony had to sit in a smoky room with some old geezers who discussed the current stock price. Not his idea of fun.

And Tony didn't even know, if he wanted to take over the family business. He wasn't strictly against it, but since he'd been born it had been a matter of fact that he would do his father's job one day. Tony had never had the chance to, at least, consider another career. It didn't help that he didn't even know whether he had certain talents. Between school, tutors and dinners, there wasn't much time for such things.

It was rather simple actually; he just didn't know what he wanted to do one day.

Tony had decided to stick with the family business right now. His father seemed a little bit easier to please since he attended those meetings. He wasn't proud or anything like that, but he seemed mostly content with the situation and that was all that Tony could ever wish for. A content, not too violent father. There was something incredibly sad about that, but Tony didn't stop long enough to think about it too much. Thinking about it wouldn't change anything. He could only try to please his father as long as possible by acting as if he would love to work in the family business.

And maybe those stiff people and boring conversations would grow on him over time. Maybe the lump of dread, that would settle in the pit of his stomach everytime his father announced another appointment, would disappear when he was older. Yeah, maybe all he needed was a little bit more time...

A high pitched cry jerked Tony out of his thoughts. He looked up to see a little girl, maybe seven or eight years old, kneeing on the pavement just a few feet in front of him. She wore a bright pink dress with matching bright pink ribbons in her black hair. Tony could see that she tried very hard not to cry, but lost the battle when she saw her scraped palms.

The boy was instantly at her side with a handkerchief in his hand.

His mother had told him to always help other people, especially when it was a young lady. It was one of the few advices a sober Mrs. DiNozzo had been able to give her son and Tony took it to heart.

"Don't cry, it's not too bad. See?"

The little girl stared at him with wide eyes, while Tony gently wiped the dirt from her tiny hands. She had a very healthy tan and her eyes were bright blue. Tony couldn't help but think that she would be a beautiful woman one day.

"There you are!" he said cheerily and helped her to her feet.

She smiled shyly up at him and rubbed a tiny arm over her running nose. She had stopped crying by then. "Thank you Mister."

Tony frowned a bit at the formal address. He had enough of that at home.

"Call me Tony. You are a very polite little lady..."

"Mia" the little girl offered happily. "And Daddy says that, when someone helps you, you have to be polite."

"Daddy says so, huh?" Tony muttered, smiling wistfully.

Mia nodded eagerly, not noticing the drop in Tony's mood. "Uh-huh! I fell because I was running too fast, but I didn't want to be late for school. My Mommy made me those ribbons, see? I want to show them Ashley, that's my friend, because she says that ribbons are really cool and..."

Tony grinned and ruffled her hair, while Mia babbled on about her friends at school and why ribbons were really cool. The lady sure was a talker, wasn't she? Tony instantly worried about her. It was okay with him, but she really shouldn't be too friendly with other strangers.

But it also made something funny to his gut to see her laughing again, because of something he'd done. If his father only knew how satisfying it could be to help others without ulterior motives. Tony had alway loved it to help others.

He wondered if that could count as a talent...

"...so I tripped and it hurt but now it doesn't anymore! Thank you!" Mia stopped and looked up at him with expectant eyes. Tony had to bite his tongue so he wouldn't laugh when he noticed that the little girl was quite out of breath after her rant.

"That's nice, but I have to go now and you should too if you want to show your friends your awesome ribbons before school starts." He bowed to her, but exaggerated until his nose almost touched the ground. "It was my pleasure."

Little Mia giggled at his antics and also bowed, although with more gracefulness than Tony had. "Mine too."

She took off and ran down the street, apparently already forgetting what had happened the last time she'd sped off like this.

Tony watched her for a few seconds and was about to turn away when a black SUV caught his eye.

Something was off about the car. The windows were tinted and the license plate number looked as if someone had deliberately smashed some dirt on it, so that no one would be able to read the numbers. You could still read them but only barely and even Tony who had very good eyes had to squint before he could make them out. He didn't know why he memorized the numbers but he couldn't help it. Something was definitely wrong here...

The black SUV was driving too slow and...

Tony gasped. That's why the scene was so unsettling. It looked like the car was following little Mia.

Tony's legs began to move on their own, and he heard himself scream Mia's name at the same time as the black car began to speed up, heading straight for the unaware girl.

Tony was still several meters away when the car came to a screeching halt besides the girl and Tony watched in horror when a door opened and a very hairy man jumped out and grabbed Mia's arm.

Somewhere in his dazed mind Tony realized that he should be terrified and running _away_ from the kidnapping that was taking place in front of his eyes, instead of running towards it. But his legs kept moving and his mouth kept screaming Mia's name. He didn't have time to be afraid. There was only one clear thought in his mind.

_'Help her.'_

It didn't matter that the guy had a gun and was ten times bigger than Tony. It didn't even matter that his father would be furious with him when he wouldn't come home in time for the business dinner.

All that mattered was, that there was someone in danger and that Tony was the only one around to help. And all that mattered was, that Mia had started to cry and to trash and to scream for her Mommy and Daddy and "TONY!".

So Tony ran until he could clearly see the man's face. In a matter of seconds he had it memorized like he'd done with the license plate. The pessimist inside of him whispered that it wouldn't matter when he was dead, but Tony ignored him. He reached the still struggling couple and raised his school bag over his head and slammed it into the hairy man's face. For the first time in his young life, Anthony was happy that his teachers only used the heaviest schoolbooks for their classes.

The goon groaned but didn't seem to be hurt too badly and didn't let go of Mia's arm. Tony was about to kick the kidnapper where it hurt a man the most, when a blinding pain exploded in the back of his head and stopped him cold.

During the three seconds that his body needed to hit the ground, Tony realized several things.

He realized that the goon hadn't been alone and that he should have paid more attention to his surroundings. He realized that he couldn't hear little Mia's screams anymore, but the sound of screeching tires that slowly died away.

But above all, he realized that he would miss dinner again, and that his father would probably kill him.

And then everything went black.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N:** OMG, you gotta be freakin'** KIDDING** me!!! 41 reviews? Seriously? The expectations are HIGH now, aren't they?! *sweats*_

_This chapter was trying to kill me! I completely rewrote this thing 5 TIMES (no kidding) because it didn't seem to work, no matter what I did. I was close to tears at one point because I didn't want to upload one pretty good chapter and then come up with a crappy second one especially after the awesome feedback. I'm not even fully satisfied with this version but I'm afraid it won't get better, at least not in the next few months, and since I can't (didn't want to) let you wait so long....Tadaa! Hope you'll still like it, it's the best I could do with Gibbs..._

_**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS!!! LOVED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!**_

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**~The Day Before The Day~**

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Chapter 02

Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs stared at the crime scene in front of him and wondered what they were supposed to find here.

The street where the little girl had been kidnapped was filled with clueless policemen and staring gawpers. And ironically, there wasn't even much to stare at. The tire tracks were the only lead they had and that wasn't much. Not when a little girl was involved.

Gibbs and his team had been in New York for another case when the Director had called and told them that they would have to stay there a little bit longer for a kidnapping case. Since they had already caught Petty Officer Jenkins murder and put him behind bars, Gibbs hadn't minded much. He missed Shannon and their unborn child, but he couldn't abandon the little girl just because he was homesick. Shannon would understand that. She understood many things, and it made him wonder how he deserved such a wonderful woman.

The man besides him, Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard, cleared his throat and frowned at the gawpers. He looked a little bit out of place with his medical bag and the jacket with the inscription 'Medical Examiner' on his back. Gibbs didn't know why he had brought the doctor to the crime scene, since this was a kidnapping and no murder. He guessed that he just liked to have the older man around him.

Ducky had been really supportive since Gibbs had gotten his own team a few months ago. Especially when Gibbs had_ fired_ his entire team just a few week later, because they had been incompetent morons. Ducky had listened to his ramblings that day and just nodded from time to time. After Gibbs had finished, Ducky had told him deadpan that he was "_quite the toughie"_ and that he was glad that Gibbs couldn't fire him, since he wasn't really part of his team. Gibbs had actually laughed at that and immediately taken a liking to the older man.

The director however, hadn't liked the idea of a one man team one bit and had assigned one agent after another to Gibbs team. No one had lasted longer than a few weeks, some not even a few days. Currently he had to tolerate the presence of Agent...Nickols? Yeah, Gibbs was pretty sure that was the name.

The kid was so wet behind the ears that it was almost funny. Except, that it really _wasn't._ He could do _nothing_ alone. Gibbs felt like he had to hold his hand 24/7 and it was beginning to piss him off. He couldn't need someone like that and the slimy attitude wasn't really pleasant either. Even Ducky was beginning to dislike the young man and Ducky almost never disliked anyone.

Nickols was currently following them like an eager puppy, while they made their way towards a random police officer. Gibbs had send Nickols to get him some decent coffee but the man had come back empty-handed with the excuse that he couldn't find a coffee shop in the immediate vicinity.

Oh yeah. Nickols was **so** history.

They reached the chubby officer and Gibbs told him who they were, and demanded to know what they knew about the victim. The man sniffed and had a sour look on his face but opened his notepad without much fuss. Jurisdiction was already clarified. Thankfully, because Gibbs really hated it to fight for jurisdiction, especially when the victim was a little girl.

"The victim is Mia Kent, daughter of Corporal James Kent and his wife Elisa Kent. She is seven years old and was on her way to school when unknown subjects ambushed her and pulled her into a black SUV. That happened approximately two hours ago."

"Any witnesses?"

"Actually yes, there is one." A chubby finger pointed towards something behind them. "He's over there."

They turned around and spotted a lonely figure sitting on the curbside. Gibbs was momentarily stunned to see that their witness was a little kid. The boy was skinny and couldn't be older than twelve. He had dark blond hair and wore a school uniform that would have looked expensive if not for the dirt on, and the holes in his trousers.

Shit! The kid wouldn't be able to tell them much, if anything at all.

Gibbs noticed that the boy had closed his eyes as if he was in pain and held something to the back of his head that looked like an ice pack.

Ducky saw it too.

"The young gentleman is injured."

It wasn't really a question, but the officer answered anyway. "One of the kidnappers hit him with something. Lost consciousness for a few seconds."

"Why isn't he in a hospital? He could have a concussion!" Ducky sounded irritated and Gibbs took a step back. You didn't step between Ducky and an injured child. You had better chances if you stepped between a lioness and her cub. You even had better chances if you stepped between Gibbs and his morning coffee. Albeit, barely.

"He didn't want us to call anyone. He told us he was fine."

Ducky huffed but didn't say anything else and began to approach the boy. Gibbs followed with Nickols close on his heels. He could understand Ducky's frustration perfectly well. Since when did you let a kid decide, whether it needs medical attention or not?

The boy had opened his eyes by then and watched their approach with a guarded look on his face. He observed them with untrusting eyes that seemed too old for a boy his age. Gibbs didn't know why, but something told him that he was being assessed. That, if he looked away, he would fail some kind of test, an important test. So he held the gaze until the boy finally seemed to relax. When the kid actually nodded at him in some kind of greeting, he felt like he had achieved something big. He just couldn't say what.

Ducky seemed to pass the test as well, but those calculating eyes narrowed into slits when they landed on Nickols.

_'Huh.'_ Gibbs couldn't help but smile inwardly. _'Looks like someone has taken an instant dislike of Agent Nickols.'_

Gibbs made a mental note to keep Nickols away from the kid.

When they reached the boy, Gibbs couldn't hide a frown when the kid greeted them with a wide, sunny smile. _Too_ wide and _too_ sunny for Gibbs liking. Especially if you considered the tense posture he'd had just a few seconds ago. There was something deeply unsettling about a kid that could switch his expressions so quickly.

Ducky offered his hand, which the boy took without hestitation.

"My name is Dr. Mallard. But you can call me Ducky. I would like to take a look at your head..."

"Anthony DiNozzo. But call me Tony." the boy muttered and nodded hestitantly. He had stiffened again when Ducky had mentioned who he was. Gibbs wondered briefly if the boy had something against doctors.

Ducky acted as if he hadn't seen Tony's reaction and moved behind the boy to take a look at the rather large lump he found there.

Tony meanwhile, stared at Gibbs and Nickols and cocked a single eyebrow. A smirk played on his lips and Gibbs realized that he was being asked, or more like _ordered_, to intodruce himself.

Gibbs glared at the cocky youth and was surprised when Tony only smirked wider in response, still not uttering a single word. Well, the boy had guts. Nickols had almost wetted his pants when Gibbs had glared at him like that on his first day.

He schooled his expression and intodruced himself in a voice that had sent grown men crying for their mothers. "I am Special Agent Leroy Gibbs and this is Agent Nickols. We are from NCIS, that means..."

"'Naval Criminal Investigative Service', I know." Tony interrupted him. He couldn't see how Gibbs eyebrow twitched in irritation because Ducky began to probe the lump on his head, causing the boy to yelp in pain.

Ducky didn't notice his patient's discomfort however, and muttered to himself. "The victim suffered a blunt force trauma to the lower half of his head. The weapon was something small. Considering the form of the wound it could have been the handle of a gun. Hmm....this actually reminds me of a case I had when I was in Uruguay..."

The expression on Tony's face could only be described as incredulous when he stared at Gibbs.

"Why is he talking about me as if I am dead?"

Gibbs had the sudden urge to smile in naked spite but kept his expression indifferent. "Maybe because his patients are normally dead. Dr. Mallard is our medical examiner."

Tony paled considerably and tried to move away from Ducky's hands, but the Doctor held him in place until he finished his examination.

"I don't think that you have a concussion, but I really would like you to go to a hospital. Just to be safe."

Tony's face hardened and so did his voice. "That won't be necessarry Dr. Mallard. I didn't throw up and my vision is perfectly fine."

Ducky stared at him for a few seconds and Tony stared back with hard, unyielding eyes until he apparently noticed what he was doing. It was like a light switch had been switched. One moment they saw an adult, defensive and ready to attack and the next second they saw a kid, grinning from ear to ear like they were best friends. The change was so fast that Gibbs actually felt a little bit dizzy just watching.

"The headache is another matter altogether, but I guess that's more because of those stupid officers and their rather pointless questions about Mia. I hope you'll do a better job, Agent Gibbs." The cocky smirk and the superior attitude should have made Gibbs blood boil but it seemed so utterly fake. Like it was meant to protect himself, rather than irritate the man in front of him. So Gibbs let it slide and filed it away for another time.

"So, Mia and you are friends?"

Tony looked like he really had to think about that and eventually shook his head. "Well, not really. I just met her today. She had tripped and scraped her hands and I helped her get up again."

"And that's when she was kidnapped."

Tony nodded solemly and there was nothing left of the cocky attitude. He began to tell them what had happened, what he'd seen and done and when he was finished Gibbs was honestly impressed.

Not only had the kid noticed that there was something hinky about that car, but instead of running away like any other kid would have done, he had tried to help the little girl. Gibbs had no reason to think that Tony had lied about that to get their attention.

Tony's explanations had been methodical, starting with the beginning and retelling every little detail until he reached the point where he had passed out. Gibbs often had to deal with witnesses who were too terrified or too nervous to tell them what had happened. They often had to begin anew or go back because they had forgotten something. Not so with Tony. The kid lead them through the whole incident without a hitch, without hestitation. When he was done, Gibbs knew what had happened like he'd been there himself.

Tony was even able to give them an exact description of one of the kidnappers and the license plate number. He had already talked to the sketch artist of the NYPD while he'd waited for Gibbs and his team. The result was exceptionally accurate. The kid was like a walking harddrive.

Everything had went well, until Ducky had asked a question which had seemed to throw the kid off track.

"And when did you get that bruise on your cheek?"

Tony had stared at him like he didn't know what Ducky was talking about before a panicked look crossed his face. He wouldn't meet their eyes after that until he'd grinned sheepishly and told them that it probably happened when he'd passed out.

The explanation seemed plausible enough, but Gibbs didn't believe it one second. When Tony had talked about the moment when the other guy had knocked him out, he had seemed upset and even a little bit self-loathing about it, but never this...awkward and embarrassed. Like he was ashamed of something.

Ducky and Gibbs shared a look but didn't press any further. They needed Tony's cooperation and they wouldn't get it if they cornered the boy about this.

Didn't mean that Gibbs would forget about it though...

"So what do you think Boss?" Nickols asked and Gibbs almost jumped because he'd forgotten that the man was still there. "Is she still alive?"

Gibbs couldn't believe that the idiot had asked that in front of a child, but before he could beat some sense into him, Tony shook his head and actually scowled at the man.

"Didn't you listen at all? Of course she's still alive." Tony sounded irritated but not like a little kid that didn't want to hear the truth. There was determination and certainty in his eyes.

Gibbs cut Nickols (who was about to lecture Tony about the proper way to speak to adults) off with a low growl and turned towards the boy.

"And why do you think that?" His voice was low and menacing but Tony didn't step down. It seemed like he was actually rather bored of the bastard attitude by now.

"Well," he drawled, a crooked smirk on his lips. "I told you that Mia and that guy struggled quite a bit until I could reach them, right?" He looked at them and everyone except Gibbs nodded. "Don't you think that's weird? I mean, the guy was like four times bigger than her. She shouldn't have been able to fight him so long, except..."

"He didn't want to hurt her too badly!" Ducky exclaimed astonished. "So they wanted her unharmed. Chances are high that they want her for a ransom!"

Nickols gaped at the little kid in front of him, clearly stunned and irritated that it hadn't been him who had thought of that. Gibbs kept his expression carefully impassive but Tony had definitely gained his respect by now. But he was also concerned when Ducky began to praise the boy for his insights and Tony just stared at him with a blank face. He seemed really confused, like he didn't really know why the doctor was so nice to him. Or didn't know what to do with it.

A child that wasn't intimidated by threats, but didn't know how to handle a few nice words... That didn't sit right with Gibbs. Not one bit.

Nickols seemed to get over his shock and began to flick through his note pad. "I think Corporal Kent is on a nuclear submarine in the Gulf of Mexico right now. Maybe the kidnappers are terrorists..."

"_Or_ they are just some bastards who want to make the big money." Gibbs scowled at him, already formulating the man's notice of dismissal in his head.

Tony watched the interaction with obvious interest before he got up on unsteady feet.

"As much as I would love to hang out with you guy's a bit more...I have to go. My father is expecting me."

Gibbs was about to tell the kid that he would have to come with them so they could process his written statement, when he caught Ducky's warning gaze.

_'He needs rest Jethro.'_

Gibbs watched Tony's stiff movements and the tight lines around his eyes and relented. The kid could give his statement tomorrow. He doubted that Tony would forget something until then. God, his describtion had been so accurate that Gibbs could have written the statement himself if necessary.

He was about to ask his agent to drive the kid home, when he saw the sneer on Nickols face while he stared at Tony. Okay, so Nickols was out of the question. Gibbs could send Ducky, but he had to admit that he was curious about the boy and wanted to get to know him better.

"Okay, kiddo get your stuff and I'll drive you home. Nickols, you talk to Mrs. Kent, see if she knows anything. Take Ducky with you in case she needs medical attention."

Tony looked shocked and like he wanted to protest but Gibbs just glared at him and guided him to his car. Tony fidgeted under the hand on his back and he seemed more than reluctant to get into the car.

"You really don't have to Agent Gibbs. I'm only living a few blocks from here."

"Get into the car DiNozzo, or you'll get to see the trunk from the inside."

Tony stared at him in mock horror and saluted before he scrambled into the car. "You better not let the nice policemen hear that you _threatened to stuff me in your trunk_." The last part was said unnecessarily loud and a few policemen actually _did_ turn around to stare at Gibbs with suspicious eyes.

Gibbs just groaned and lowered himself into the car where a smug Tony waited for him.

_God_, he needed coffee...

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N:** Since some of you have mentioned the off timeline I'll say it once again: **This is slightly AU!** I already mentioned this in the first chapter but I also added it to the summary now so that it's absolutely clear. There is a reason why I mentioned Shannon, albeit a small one. And there are also various reasons why my Gibbs isn't a probie anymore._

**Thank you very much for your reviews and corrections, I took them to heart and fixed the mistakes! :)** _My grammar and comma placement is the stuff from nightmares, I know..._

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**~The Day Before The Day~**

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Chapter 03

Tony was very nervous. No, scratch that. He wasn't nervous, he was terrified. Terrified that little Mia could be seriously injured right now, just because he hadn't been able to protect her. And terrified of his father and his wrath.

Tony had called the police from a public telephone station before he'd called his father to tell him what had happened. To say that DiNozzo sr. hadn't been happy, would have been an understatement. He had insulted Tony, questioning his intelligence and his common sense for getting involved in something like this. Tony had the distinct feeling that other parents would have said similar things, but the words would have been born out of worry and fear. His father wasn't afraid and if he was worried, then only because this could bring disgrace to the DiNozzo name, although Tony wasn't sure why it should. He had done nothing wrong, right?

DiNozzo sr. had wanted to send one of his expensive lawyers but Tony hadn't wanted that. The guy would have been in the way, telling Tony to say nothing so he wouldn't get further _"involved_". But Tony wanted to get "_involved". _He wanted to help.

It was strange, but he felt oddly responsible for the little girl. _He_ had been the last one who had seen her. She had screamed _his_ name before she had been pulled into the car. Tony couldn't get her scared face out of his mind and he knew that he wouldn't, until Mia was safe and home. But his father wouldn't understand that _(hell, even Tony didn't understand it fully)_, so he had just hung up on the man without ever telling him where he was.

He hadn't thought about the consequences at that time, but he did now. You didn't hang up on Mr. DiNozzo. Especially not if you were his little, no-good son.

Oh yeah, he had every right to be terrified.

Tony hadn't felt too bad at the crime scene. The headache had been annoying, but nothing that he couldn't handle. He hadn't lied to Dr. Mallard about the concussion. Tony knew what a concussion felt like, better than anyone else, and that hadn't been one.

But now he wasn't so sure anymore.

He felt sick and dizzy and wanted to throw up. His head was killing him and he itched for some pain killers. But maybe those symptoms had nothing to do with the concussion, but with the man besides him.

The car made a sudden turn and Tony was thrown against his door. His head seemed to explode and he glared accusingly at the man behind the wheel. Agent Gibbs drove like a madman! How was it even possible that he still had his driver's license? The guy was like Evel Knievel, just without the motorcycle.

When he was thrown into his seatbelt once more because Gibbs suddenly slammed on the brakes, Tony couldn't stay quiet anymore.

"You_ do_ know that there are things like international traffic rules, don't you?"

Gibbs merely glanced at him but kept his eyes mostly on the road, much to Tony's relief.

"You always this impudent, kiddo?"

Tony had expected to feel intimidated or miffed, like he did when his father spoke to him like that, but he didn't. Although the words had been gruff and kinda harsh, there had been no malice behind them, no disgust. He realized that this was just Gibbs nature, his way of dealing with others. Tony could accept that. It was actually rather refreshing.

"Only when I fear for my life." They took another turn and Tony was almost thrown out of his seat. "You know," he drawled while he grabbed the seat cover as if his life depended on it, "some people say that every car driver is a potential murderer. I kinda understand what they mean now..."

Gibbs scowled but Tony thought that he could see the ghost of a smile. "One more smart-ass comment, and you're riding on the hood."

Tony couldn't help the smirk. God, this was fun.

"First the trunk and now the hood? You must make a choice, Agent Gibbs!"

The car veered into a parking area and came to a screeching halt. Gibbs turned to glare at the boy and Tony wondered if the trunk was actually big enough for him. He was suddenly assaulted by memories of nights spent in the closet and weeks locked into his room with nothing else to do than stare out of the window. The memories were vivid and his hands began to shake and he clenched them into fists to make it stop. His breathing got a little bit erratic but Tony couldn't take care of that right now. He had to make sure that he kept his face as blank as possible. To show that you were afraid made things only worse. He had learned that the hard way.

Gibbs seemed to notice something though, because the glare dropped from his face and he pointed to a little coffee shop that Tony hadn't noticed before, and got out of the car. "I'll be right back."

Tony watched him enter the shop and only dared to breath again, when he couldn't see the agent anymore.

That had been.... unexpected. He hadn't had one of those attacks for years. Not since he'd had one in front of his teacher, Mrs. Briggs. She had said something harmless, Tony couldn't even remember what anymore, but it had triggered something inside of him. It had been much worse than the attack a few seconds ago, and she had been shocked to see him like that. Mrs. Briggs had been a young teacher, a woman of ideals and dreams. So, of course she had called Tony's father.

Not a week later she had lost her house to a fire and her job, because someone had found alcohol in her desk in the teacher's lounge.

"Just a little lesson." his father had told him when Tony received his own lesson that evening. A lesson that Tony would never forget. He had sworn that he would never loose control like that ever again. But he almost had today. If Gibbs had carried on to stare at him like that, Tony would have snapped. And it scared him.

He wondered how he could have made such a big mistake.

He laughed into the empty car. A bitter sound that hurt his ears. "You witnessed how a little girl was kidnapped, got knocked out and now you are on your way to your pissed off father with an agent in tow. Of course you are liable to make mistakes right now!"

Yeah, that had to be it. He was exhausted and tired. Nothing else.

It wasn't because Gibbs blue eyes had pierced him like he could see all his secrets, weaknesses and fears. It wasn't because something about the gruff man caused Tony to lower his walls. It couldn't be that, because it would mean that Gibbs could be able to see the truth behind all these lies that made Tony who he was.

Tony couldn't afford something like that, so he took a few shaky breaths, guarded his expressions and waited for Gibbs to come back.

A few minutes passed before Gibbs emerged with two cups of coffee. It was rather funny to watch him balance them in one hand, while the other tried to open the door. When he was finally back in the car he thrusted one of the cups into Tony's hands and took a large sip from the other.

"You okay?" The question sounded casual, like Gibbs didn't really care about the answer, but Tony knew better. He didn't want to talk about it however, so he did what he always did when it came to unpleasant topics.

He ignored them.

"That was really nice of you." He said, waving the cup of coffee in front of his face. "But I'm not allowed to drink coffee."

Gibbs looked like he wanted to force Tony to answer his question but just shook his head. "Who said that this is for you?"

"You bought two cups of coffee for yourself? Why?"

"Their coffee is good. Who knows how soon I'll get a decent cup of coffee again." He started the engine, cup still clutched in his hand. "You're just gonna hold it for me so I'll have a hand free for driving. You better not take a sip while I'm not looking!"

Tony wanted to promise that he would never drink any coffee for the rest of his life, if he could just hold the other cup too. Gibbs drove like a madman with two hands. He really didn't want to know how he'd drive with only one hand.

Before he could say something however, Gibbs had already pulled out of the parking area. Incredibly gentle and slowly. Tony waited for Gibbs to speed up again, but when it never happened finally relaxed into his seat and closed his eyes.

He was only partially annoyed that the aspect of spilled coffee seemed to be the only reason why the man would slow down.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Gibbs and Tony finally reached the DiNozzo estate, his father was already waiting for them, or more precisely, _awaited_ them in his office. He didn't wait in front of the door, ready to clasp his son in his arms, telling him how worried he had been and asking him if he was alright.

But Rose did.

She smoothed his wrinkled clothes and fussed over his lump, scolding him for his stupidity and praising his bravery, in turns. Tony had no idea how she knew about the whole thing but she always seemed to know these things before he could even tell her. It was rather scary.

Gibbs watched the exchange with an amused smile before he stepped in to intodruce himself. Rose took the offered hand but seemed wary of the agent and Tony couldn't blame her. Gibbs gruff exterior could be quite intimidating. Tony itched to see him interrogate a suspect. His father could probably learn some things from the agent.

"Nice to meet you Agent Gibbs. Mr. DiNozzo is already waiting for you in his office. Please follow me."

Gibbs didn't seem to be surprised that DiNozzo sr. already knew about him and Tony wasn't either. He knew that his father had 'contacts' all over New York. He was actually surprised that none of them seemed to have called his father to tell him where he could find his son. But maybe they had and his father just didn't care enough to get him.

As soon as they entered the house, Tony's body began to stiffen, arms straight at his side, head bowed, a mask of indifference on his face. It was a natural change, something he didn't even notice anymore. But Gibbs did.

Tony could see how the man shot him odd looks but ignored them. It wasn't too hard anyway, because his head was full of scenarios how his father would react. Would he be angry, maybe even scream at Tony? Or would he ignore him altogether while he spoke to Agent Gibbs?

Tony swallowed hard when they reached the office and Rose entered it to announce their arrival.

No, it would be much worse than that. DiNozzo sr. would act like he _cared_. He would act like he'd been _worried_. A nice little show for the agent until they were alone again and his father could show him how much he really cared...

Rose opened the door and ushered them in. "He is ready to meet you now."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at her but entered nonetheless, Tony hot on his heels.

"Anthony!" His fathers happy shout startled Tony much more than the heavy hand that landed on his shoulder. He kept his eyes glued to the floor. To feel and hear the fake worry was worse enough, he didn't have to see it on top of that. The hand on his shoulder tightened painfully, but he refused to look up. He just couldn't.

"Don't you want to intodruce us, Anthony?"

Tony was afraid that his voice would tremble but Gibbs beat him to it. "My name is Special Agent Gibbs from NCIS and your son witnessed a crime this morning."

"I see. Thank you for bringing him home Agent Gibbs."

Tony hoped that Gibbs would go now but the agent seemed to wait for something and his expression darkened when he didn't get it.

"Don't you want to know what happened?"

Gibbs sounded angry, although Tony couldn't imagine why. For a second there, it looked like his father would throw the agent out, but he was a business man after all. He knew how to convince others of his integrity. He smiled apologetically and said, "Oh I already know what happened. An old friend of mine, the Chief of Police, called me and told me the story." He looked at Tony whose shoulder was throbbing by now and who was forced to look up if he wanted the pain to stop. "I'm really proud of you, son."

Tony felt sick. Sick and disgusted, but mostly ashamed. Ashamed because, no matter what this man had done to him over the years, he still wished that these words were the truth. To wish that the man who abused and humiliated you was proud of you... there was something deeply pathetic about that.

Tony concentrated on a point behind his father so he wouldn't have to see the insincere smile. "Thank you sir."

Tony was surprise how strong his voice was and how genuinely happy he sounded. He was a really good liar, wasn't he? He just didn't know if he should be proud of that...

His father was already speaking again, but thankfully not to him.

"Once again. Thank you for bringing him home. I hope it wasn't too much of a hassle..."

"Not at all." Gibbs sounded peeved and Tony wondered why. "I'll need him to come to the police station, first thing tomorrow. We still need his written statement."

DiNozzo sr. smiled. "I understand."

Tony knew that smile. It was the_ 'I know something that you don't'_ smile and Tony knew instantly that he wouldn't go to the police station tomorrow. His father wouldn't allow that the name DiNozzo could be linked with an ongoing investigation. One of his fancy lawyers would make sure of that.

The thought that he would never see Agent Gibbs again, hurt more than it should.

_'This is ridiculous.'_ Tony scolded himself, _'I barely know the man.'_

Gibbs nodded but seemed hestitant to go. He looked back and forth between the two DiNozzos for a few seconds before he approached the door. "He is injured. The doctor said that he needs rest so he'd better get it."

Tony gaped. Did Gibbs just..._threaten_ his father?

DiNozzo sr. clenched his fists but his voice gave nothing away. "I'll see to that Agent Gibbs. It was nice meeting you."

Gibbs turned around and opened the door and Tony just realized that he would be utterly alone with his father as soon as Gibbs left the room. He wasn't ready to face his father. Not yet.

"Wait Agent Gibbs!" he called, a little bit too urgent to sound casual. "I will see you to the door."

He approached the agent but his fathers voice stopped him cold. "No Anthony, let Rose do it. We have to discuss a few things before you go to your room to rest."

Gibbs scowled at his father but carefully ruffled Tony's hair. "See you tomorrow kiddo."

The hand on his head let Tony almost forget how terrified he should be about that upcoming 'discussion'. Gibbs hands were calloused and big but at the same time really gentle. Tony wondered if this was something normal. If all kids got their hair ruffled in the morning or when they went to bed at night. He wondered if Gibbs had kids and whether he ruffled their hair like that too.

The hand and its warmth left his head and Tony remembered that he wouldn't see this man ever again. Not when his father had something to say about it. And his father _always_ had to say something about it.

With a lump in his throat he watched how Agent Gibbs closed the door and walked straight out of his life.

The sound when the door clicked shut was almost deafening.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N;** Sorry for the delay and shortness of this chapter! RL was a bitch! I had the flu and was feeling really crappy so if this chapter seems jumbled and... I don't know, just bad, blame the bug not me, please! *cowers in corner* Nothing else to say except:_

**_Thank you very much for your reviews! I'm getting addicted!_**

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The Day Before The Day

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Chapter 04

Agent Gibbs was on his way to the motel where his team was staying, when he had to stop at a red light. He took the opportunity to take a large sip from the remaining cup of coffee and grimaced. Cold coffee was disgusting to say the least, but it was better than nothing. And he needed the brown liquid right now, since coffee had the tendency to calm him down, despite the caffeine.

He was all churned up inside after his meeting with Mr. DiNozzo. The man had seemed nice enough and had given Gibbs no reason to dislike him, and yet the agent instantly had. The man had been well-mannered and well dressed, the average man of business. The DiNozzo's were obviously a wealthy family, if the expensive clothes and the ridiculously large house were anything to go by.

But despite his dislike of the man in front of him, Gibbs would never have suspected that something was wrong, if not for Tony's strange behaviour. The boy had tried to act as if everything was alright but Gibbs could tell that something was wrong.

The moment they had entered the house, the boy had begun to act all meek and shy. His posture had been stiff and controlled, his face a grimace of indifference . The boy that had lead him through the estate had beared absolutely no resemblance to the boy he had met at the crime scene. Gibbs couldn't stop thinking, that the kid in the office had been _'Anthony DiNozzo, heir of Anthony DiNozzo sr'_, and not _'Just Tony'_ anymore. The obvious change had almost undone Gibbs because he'd really liked _'Just Tony',_ despite the cocky attitude_._..

Tony's strange behaviour had forced Gibbs to pay more attention to the older DiNozzo. And it was good that he did, because otherwise he wouldn't have noticed the cold gleam in Mr. DiNozzo's eyes or that Tony couldn't even_ meet_ those eyes.

Or that the pride in DiNozzo sr. eyes was just as fake, as the delight in Tony's.

Gibbs also didn't like how the man had gloated about his friendship with the Chief of Police. The agent had the distinct feeling that DiNozzo sr. had expected him to be intimidated by that information.

Well, he wasn't!

No matter how many friends in high places Mr. DiNozzo had, Gibbs would make sure to keep an eye on the boy. Maybe he could coax the kid into telling him some things about himself when he saw him the next day...

It suddenly occurred to Gibbs that he was about to try to solve two mysteries at once, Tony's and Mia's, but just shrugged it off.

His instincts told him that DiNozzo sr. would cause trouble and he could usually trust his instincts.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was already getting dark when Gibbs arrived at the motel. Ducky and Nickols were waiting for him in his room and Gibbs couldn't surpress a satisfied smirk when the young agent turned pleading eyes on him while Ducky told him about an old case.

"...the most curious thing I have ever seen. The poor lad didn't even know what hit him when... Ah Jethro, there you are! I was just about to tell Agent Nickols here about the case where the wife filled snake poison into the toothpaste of her husband. Not a fine way to die, let me tell you..."

Gibbs grinned at the horrified expression on Nickols' face.

"I guess the lad should have seen it coming, though." Ducky murmured thoughtfully. "_'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.'_"

And Gibbs could totally agree with that. Even Shannon had her moments, especially since she was pregnant. Even an open thoothpaste had caused big fights lately...Hmm, maybe he should be more cautious about such things in the future...

Nickols cleared his throat and jerked Gibbs out of his morbid thoughts. The young agent was fiddling with his notepad and had that eager puppy look on his face that Gibbs couldn't stand. The agent had obviously good news and wanted to share them. Gibbs would have liked to let him dangle a little bit longer but decided against it. Mia and her parents couldn't need further delays right now.

"What have you got on the plates?"

Nickols face fell a bit.

"The car was reported stolen three days ago. We checked the owner anyway, but he has an alibi for the time the victim was kidnapped. We haven't found the car yet, but New York PD is still looking for it."

"Of course they are." Gibbs couldn't help but interrupt. "What did the mother tell you?"

Nickols beamed while Ducky just shook his head.

"The poor woman was near hysterics. I had to give her a mild sedative before we left. Oh, but she was able to identify the kidnapper from the description young Anthony gave us."

Gibbs noticed how Nickols glared at the older man and sighed wearily. He felt like he was back in preschool again, surrounded by kids who were arguing who got to tell 'Daddy' the good news first. He snapped his fingers to get the young agent back on track.

"Well? Who is it?"

Nickols startled at the gruff voice but had a smug smile on his lips when he answered. "His name is Jeffrey Godin. Mrs. Kents sister was engaged to him until six months ago when they broke up after a huge fight."

"So it's an act of revenge?"

"Not necessarily. Mr. Kent inherited a lot of money when his aunt died last year. They were planning to save it for their daughter's education, however..." Nickols trailed off and Gibbs was getting slowly but surely annoyed with the young man.

"And?" he barked, "Did Godin know about the money or not?"

Nickols shrunk back and fidgeted in his seat. "Mrs. Kent wasn't sure but she doubts that her sister didn't tell him about it. They were engaged after all..."

Gibbs wondered why Godin had waited 6 months before he'd kidnapped little Mia. It would have been much more plausible if he'd kidnapped her right after his fiancee broke up with him, as an act of revenge, so to speak. But now, six month later? Well it sure looked like this was about money after all.

Had Godin financial problems? It would explain why he'd never tried something like this before.

And then something else occured to him.

"What are you still doing here? Get Godin into interrogation or do you need my permission for that too?" God, Nickols couldn't be_ that_ dependent, could he?

The young agent looked chagrined for a moment but lowered his head when he met Gibbs fierce stare.

"We don't know where he is. There are no records of the time after his break up six months ago. No driver's license, no actual address, no recent credit statements. It's like he vanished from the face of the earth."

Gibbs swore under his breath. What value had a suspect, if they didn't know where to find him? Now all they could do was to wait for the call that would tell them what the kidnapper wanted. And Gibbs had no doubt that such a call would come. He'd just hoped that they wouldn't have to wait for it in order to begin their search.

Nickols sensed his rage and retreated into a far corner while Ducky laid a comforting hand on Gibbs shoulder.

"The police is checking the airport and every patrol car has his picture. He won't go very far Jethro."

"He doesn't need to go far to scar the girl forever, Ducky."

The doctor didn't respond. There was nothing else to say, really.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Nickols left soon after but Ducky was still sitting on Gibbs bed, keeping a wary eye on him. Gibbs thought that the doctor wanted to talk about the case or (_god forbid)_ his feelings, but the older man surprised him.

"How is young Anthony? Did you tell him to rest properly?"

Gibbs saw the concern in Duckys eyes and realized that he really shouldn't have been so surprised after all. The doctor had taken an instant liking to the boy, much like Gibbs himself. Something about the kid was attracting your attention. You just couldn't help but pay attention to him and worry about him. Gibbs doubted that the boy would have much trouble getting dates when he was older.

"The boy is just fine. But..." he trailed off, not really knowing if he should continue. Should he tell Ducky about the meeting with Mr. DiNozzo and Tony's odd behaviour? Now that he thought about it, he had no proof whatsoever that something was wrong. Just a gut feeling...

The older man sensed his hestitation and discomfort and stared at him for a long time. "The boy seemed a little bit... _hestitant _to let you drive him home... Did something happen?"

Gibbs knew better than to ignore _that_ tone and finally relented. He told Ducky everything about the meeting. How DiNozzo sr. had seemed nice, but also really distant and about his almost instant dislike of the man. About the concealed cold gleam in his eyes and how Tony had acted really strange around his father, so totally different and out of character.

"I honestly don't know Ducky. I just have a bad feeling about that man..."

Gibbs expected Ducky to say something along the lines of _'That's ridiculous Jethro. I'm sure everything is fine',_ but the doctor just listened and bit his lower lip, a frown on his face. Gibbs didn't like that expression. Not one bit.

"Ducky? What is it?"

The older man sighed and rubbed his face. "I didn't want to say something in front of the boy, but do you remember the bruise on his cheek?" Gibbs only nodded, dreading Ducky's next words. "Well, it didn't look like he got that during the fall. I can't be sure because I didn't get a good look at it, but it looks like the lad had been hit. Rather hard I would say."

Gibbs swallowed. It was kinda hard to believe that the cocky and smug youth was the victim of abuse. Gibbs didn't have much experience with abused children, but he had certainly not expected them to act like Tony had. The kid hadn't been intimidated by his gruff behaviour and his infamous glare and he had been really outgoing with all of them.

Okay, so the erratic mood swings were a little bit concerning, but the kid was a teenager after all...

"Are you sure Ducky?"

Ducky shook his head. He seemed to know why Gibbs was so tentative about this. Accusing someone of child abuse was something big. They couldn't do that sorely based on a hunch.

"No, like I said I didn't get a good look at it. There could be many other explanations for the bruise..." He regarded Gibbs with a leveled look. "What are you going to do?"

Gibbs didn't answer immediately but crossed his arms and stared at the ceiling. This case was getting rather difficult in so many unexpected ways. They still had to find Mia and she had definitely priority right now. But he didn't want to abandon the boy either. He felt oddly responsible for the kid.

"Well, I already decided to keep an eye on him tomorrow and I will stick to that. Evidence or not, if there is something wrong with Tony I'll find out."

Ducky just smiled like he'd already known what the answer would be, and patted Gibbs knee.

"I'm sure you will Jethro."

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

_**Warning**: Scenes of child abuse! I MEAN IT GUYS!_

_**A/N:** Thank you for your kind words and reviews. They mean a lot to me._

_Okay, short chapter, but for that you get delicious Tony-Whump/Angst!!! (hence the warning)_

_italics - Flashback_

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**The Day Before The Day**

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Chapter 05

It was late at night when Tony was finally able to go to bed. He slipped into his room as quietly as he could and locked the door behind him. Not that it would help much since his father had a key for his door, but it was a reassuring action nonetheless. When the door clicked shut he could at least pretend that he was safe.

The boy dragged himself to his bed where he collapsed into a heap of aching limbs.

God, he felt awful. His head was killing him and he felt dizzy and sick. Tony was a little bit concerned and surprised that his vision was blurred but just closed his eyes to block it all out. He shouldn't be surprised. Not after the day he'd had.

The business dinner had been hell. He should have known that his father wouldn't let him off the hook, just because of a little concussion. The old geezers hadn't even noticed the pained look on his face or his stiff posture. They hadn't noticed him at all, which was nothing unusual. Sometimes Tony wondered whether they even knew why he was there or if they thought that he was just some kind of trophy his father wanted to show off. Most of them had no children, thus no heirs. Maybe his father wanted to boast with him in front of his friends... Tony laughed into the empty room. Well, that was ridiculous! His father didn't need to boast. He was a friggin' millionaire, for God's sake!

Whatever reason there was for his attendance, Tony didn't want to know. His nose was still filled with the stench of cigars. The penetrating smell hadn't done his headache any good and he had been about to throw up when his father had finally allowed him to go to bed. The man had probably seen the telltales of nausea and didn't want the dinner to end with a disaster. Tony didn't care. He was just glad that he was finally out of that smoke-filled room.

Oh yeah, he hated those dinners with a passion. Tony had almost forgotten about this one, especially after the discussion with his father.

A discussion that hadn't involved many words...

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_(A few hours earlier)_

_DiNozzo sr. was pacing in front of his son. Back and forth, back and forth. His father's rapid movements made the boy a little bit dizzy but he was more concerned about the silence. His father hadn't said a single word since Agent Gibbs had left and it scared Tony. DiNozzo sr. wasn't a man who gave you the silent treatment. He only did that when he was pissed. Royally so._

_Tony began to shift from one foot to another but instantly stilled when his father looked at him with open disgust shining in his eyes. Tony knew that look and he didn't have to see how his father took off his belt to know what would happen next._

_"Take your shirt off."_

_Tony paled and his mind screamed at him to run and never come back, but years of beat in procedures let his body move on its own. Shaking fingers began to unbutton his shirt and quivering legs positioned themselves in front of his father's desk. Tony gripped the edge of the tabletop as hard as he could and waited for the first blow._

_He didn't even try to plead with his father. He had tried that the first few times it had happened and it had made things only worse. His father couldn't stand it when he showed weakness and Tony wasn't stupid enough to think that anything he could do or say would stop his father right now. So he resigned, closed his eyes and hoped that his concussion would let him pass out after the first few blows._

_The first blow was always a surprise, even when the boy expected it, because it was always astonishing how much it hurt. Tony was always morbidly fascinated by the way how much pain a simple leather belt could inflict. It was almost inhuman._

_Tony gritted his teeth when the second blow met his already tender back, so he wouldn't scream. When he was younger, Tony would stifle his screams because they made his father even more angry. Now he stifled them, because they made Tony angry. He shouldn't have to scream anymore. His father had much more painful ways to punish him. This was nothing._

_His father kept hitting him with the belt and with each blow they got harder and more painful. Tony's back was burning by now, a single knot of pain and agony. It was probably bright red, but that didn't worry Tony as much as the silence. His father hadn't uttered a single word yet._

_Usually he would berate his son between each blow, telling him how much of a disappointment he was and how he deserved every single one of the welts he received. Sometimes Tony would concentrate on the voice of his father, if the pain got too much to bear. But mostly it would be the exact opposite. Words cut deeper than anything else. Especially his fathers._

_So Tony shouldn't really mind the lack of 'communication', but he did. It reminded him of the only other time that his father had been silent during his punishment. The only time that his father hadn't stopped as soon as the skin on Tony's back had begun to tear._

_It had been the first anniversary of his mother's death. Tony had wanted to visit her grave and had asked his father to accompany him._

_The boy still didn't know why that single question had made his father so livid. He only knew that he had screamed and cried in pain and shock when he'd felt how his own blood had slid down his back. How he had begged his father to stop and how he'd screamed "Sorry, I'm so sorry" over and over again although he didn't even know what he should be sorry for._

_And during all this, his father hadn't said a single word._

_Tony's back was still covered in scars and the boy doubted that they would ever really vanish. They would be a part of him for the rest of his life..._

_The silence was freaking Tony out and he wondered what he had done to make his father so livid. He had just tried to help a little girl! Why was he being punished for helping? It didn't make sense! He tried to hold the tears at bay and hide his shaking knees, while the belt continued to make contact with his back._

_He didn't really feel the blows anymore. This pain was nothing compared to the agony of tearing flesh. He had to be prepared, had to brace himself. He was older now. He couldn't cry and beg like he'd done back then._

_He had to be strong._

_Tony was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he almost missed how the blows stopped and his father stepped back. _

_He bit his lip and straightened up. The pain that flared through his skull and back was overwhelming, but somehow he managed it to bend down and put his shirt back on without falling. His vision was blurry and he blinked rapidly to clear it while he waited for his father to dismiss him._

_It suddenly occurred to him how normal this procedure was to him by now. How... familiar._

_It was a sickening thought that he was already used to this kind of event, so he pushed it to the back of his mind while he watched how his father took a seat behind his desk._

_"I already called the Chief of Police. George will handle those NCIS Agents. I have to go away on a business trip first thing tomorrow. I expect you to do what our lawyer, Mr. Price, tells you while I'm away and I expect you to go to school tomorrow like usual. Mr. Price will go to the police station tomorrow and deal with the paperwork. You better forget that girl Anthony, because she is none of your business anymore, do you understand?"_

_Tony was always amazed how utterly cool and controlled his father was after a punishment. Like it hadn't even happened in the first place. It was almost worth admiring. Almost._

_He realized that he was supposed to answer and uttered a small "Yes sir."_

_The words tasted ashen in his mouth, but he ignored it. When his father told him that Mia was none of his business anymore, then she _was_ none of his business anymore. It didn't matter how much Tony wanted to help the little girl or how much he would have liked to see Agent Gibbs again. What Tony wanted simply didn't matter in this house. End of story._

_His father began to read through some business reports and didn't even cast Tony a glance when he spoke next. "Our guests will arrive in two hours. I expect you to be cleaned and ready by then. You can go now."_

_'So much for my rest' Tony thought sourly. Two hours wasn't much. He would barely be able to lie down for a few minutes. His headache chose this moment to come back with a vengeance and Tony began to get really irritated._

_Didn't he suffer enough for one day? Did he really have to please and entertain some old geezers who didn't even notice that he was there?_

_Before Tony could stop himself, he was staring at his father with something akin to hate in his eyes and hissed, "Why do you want me to take over the family business anyway? I thought you think that I'm a wothless brat?!"_

_His father looked up at that, and Tony flinched when he realized that the belt was still lying on the tabletop - in his father's reach._

_But DiNozzo sr. merely looked at him for a few seconds before he looked back down again, a bored expression on his face._

_"You're right. I do."_

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Tony rolled onto his stomach to relief his aching back and sighed wearily.

His father's words had hurt more than they should have. It wasn't something new, after all. He always told Tony that he was worthless and no-good. It was almost a daily occurrence by now. But when he said those things, he was mostly angry or just plain irritated because his son had done something wrong. His face would be a grimace of disgust and hate and his words full of venom.

Yeah, his father was usually vivid when he said those things but never this... bored. Bored and dismissive, like he didn't understand how Tony could still think that there was something else than indifference on his side. Like the fact that his son was worthless was as normal and incontrovertible as his name.

That's why he hadn't lashed out. Because it was nothing to get angry over. Because it was normal.

Tony felt oddly empty while he lied there on his bed, staring at the wall. He was numb and worn out and just spiritless.

Tears threatened to fall but he mercilessly pushed them back.

The last time he had felt like this had been at the funeral of his mother. She had suddenly died of liver cancer, and although little Anthony hadn't known what kind of disease that was, he had known that his mother would never come back.

They hadn't been too close - his father's influence had made sure of that - but she had always been nice to him when they had seen each other and given him advices. It had made Tony more than sad that he would never see her again. That he would never get the chance to get to know her better, like mother and son were supposed to know each other.

Tony had stood in front of the coffin besides his father and had tentatively tried to take his hand. DiNozzo sr. had snatched his hand away as if he had been burned, turned around and gone away without ever looking back. Little Tony had stared after the retreating back of his father for a long time. That had been the first time that Tony had realised that something was seriously wrong. That he would always miss something important in his life. Something that he just didn't seem to deserve.

The funeral had been painful in so many ways, but Tony hadn't cried back then and he wouldn't cry now.

He closed his eyes and drifted off into a fitful sleep.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

_Thank you very much for your reviews! (btw, I fixed that embarrassing vivid/livid typo! Thanks for telling me)_

_**A/N:** Sorry for the long delay, but hey, I bring you a pretty long chapter! Remember that I have no knowledge whatsoever about law enforcement procedures and the other stuff, so I'm probably taking many liberties here. I tried to keep it as faithful as possible although I don't know if I succeeded._

_On with the story!_

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**The Day Before The Day**

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Chapter 06

Gibbs was getting impatient. He had been waiting for the better part of an hour, and the kid was still nowhere to be seen. What took that boy so long? Hadn't he clearly said _'first thing tomorrow'_? Well, for Gibbs, _'first thing tomorrow'_ was way up!

The station was buzzing with life, despite the early hour. Gibbs watched how a police officer tried to calm an upset prostitute, who seemed too young for that kind of business, and revised his earlier thoughts. Maybe it was more like, _due_ _to_ the early hour...

No matter what the reason, the station was packed with drunks, criminals, victims and over-worked policemen. Gibbs was momentarily worried that Tony was already here and that he just got lost in the building. Tony was tough, no question there, but no child should wander through a police station alone. Gibbs didn't know why, but he was pretty sure that Tony would come alone. DiNozzo sr. hadn't seemed like a man who would accompany his son to something like this.

He left the spot where he'd leaned against a wall and began to traverse the room. His eyes roamed over every single face but there was still no Tony in sight.

Gibbs stopped his search for a few minutes when he saw a man enter Chief Lancaster's office. This guy practically screamed lawyer. He wore an expensive suit and a black briefcase. His hair was blonde and back-combed. Gibbs suspected that the man couldn't be older than thirty, although he tried to appear older.

The Agent was tempted to follow him and see what such a classy lawyer wanted from the Chief of Police, but decided against it. He was pretty sure that it had nothing to do with the 'Kent-case', so it wasn't his business. Besides, he still had to find Tony.

Gibbs couldn't believe that Tony would deliberately miss their appointment. The kid had seemed eager to help, maybe even a little bit too eager. The boy probably felt responsible for the little girl and her welfare. The brief encounter had been enough for the kid to care about her. It was just one of the many reasons why Gibbs had taken to the kid so quickly.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Gibbs realized that Tony had every trait that he expected from an good Agent, but dismissed that thought almost immediately. The kid was, after all, just a kid. There was no telling how he would act when he was actually old enough to become an Agent... He let his gaze wander through the room once more, and felt frustration bubble up inside of him.

Well okay, every trait but _one_.

Punctuality.

_'I guess I have to drag his ass back here myself and he better not sleep when I get there...'_

His rather menacing thought was interrupted by a light pat on his shoulder and he whirled around, expecting to see a sheepish Tony.

"What the hell took you so long?"

The officer in front of him paled instantly and staggered a few feet away from him. The kid was obviously a rookie and still wet behind the ears. His eyes were wide and his hands shook a little bit. He must have scared the kid to death and Gibbs wondered if Tony would have reacted the same way. He doubted it.

The older man didn't apologize but tried to sound a little bit less menacing. "What is it?"

The rookie fiddled with the hem of his shirt and didn't meet his eyes, but his voice was surprisingly stong.

"Chief Lancaster wants to see you in his office Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs nodded curtly and the kid pretty much ran away from him. What could the Chief of Police want from him? Did he have news about Mia? Gibbs suddenly remembered the suit that had entered Lancaster's office just a few minutes ago. He hadn't seen that man leave yet, so he had to be still in there. So, the reason why Lancaster wanted to see him had something to do with the lawyer?

Gibbs had suddenly a bad feeling about this.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"What do you mean, the kid won't come?"

George Lancaster, current Chief of Police, looked like he wanted to disappear into thin air, but Gibbs didn't pay him much attention. His gazed focused solely on the other man in the room.

He had been right about the man, Mr. Price, being a lawyer. Mr. DiNozzo's lawyer, to be exact. From up close the young man seemed even more slimy and sneaky. He regarded Gibbs with a mixture of arrogance and irritation.

"There is no reason to get loud, Agent Gibbs." Mr. Price said with a huff in his voice.

"And why won't he be coming?" Gibbs hissed, barely surpressing the urge to strangle the man.

He couldn't and _wouldn't _believe that it had been Tony's idea to stay away from the investigations. Gibbs barely knew him, but he already knew that this wasn't Tony's nature. There was something else going on here.

Price sniffed, like Gibbs had just asked something incredibly stupid. "Mr. DiNozzo is concerned about his son. Anthony was quite disturbed by what he saw and Mr. DiNozzo, _as his legal guardian_, thinks that it would be better if his son didn't get further involved."

Gibbs cursed under his breath. So it was DiNozzo sr. who was making his life difficult. He'd known that this man would mean trouble, and he'd been right. Gibbs had also no doubt that the man acted against Tony's wishes.

"I don't care what Mr. DiNozzo wants, legal guardian or not! Tony is an important witness and we still need to process his statement so you better get him here. Like now!"

Price seemed a little bit taken aback by Gibbs resistance but recovered quickly and smiled a sweet smile that Gibbs didn't like at all. Prize's hand disappeared into his briefcase and emerged with a batch of documents.

"Of course you need it and we don't want to withhold it from you. I talked to the boy this morning and asked him to write everything down." He deposited the batch on Lancaster's desk. "It's all here Agent Gibbs. He wrote it in the presence of me and the housemaid. You'll find everything you need."

Gibbs spared the papers merely a glance but that was enough to recognize the scrawly writing of a twelve-year-old boy.

He was momentarily surprised how thick the batch was but that surprise didn't last too long. He was suddenly pretty sure that Tony hadn't just written down what he'd seen, but also added some sketches and little personal comments. Tony seemed to be the kind of person who would do something like that.

Gibbs didn't take the papers, although he had no reason not to. Tony had written this in the presence of a lawyer and a detached witness, so there should be nothing wrong with it. If he accepted this, Tony would have no reason to come back here, except for a lineup when they catched Godin and his friends. There was no reason why he should see the kid again.

But..._ heck_, he wanted to see him again! And not only because he actually liked the kid, but also because he was sincerely convinced that Tony could help them. It seemed ridiculous to assume that a little boy would be any help to an ongoing investigation, but Tony had already proven that he had valuable insights when it came to these sorts of things.

Gibbs had instantly seen that the kid had a sharp mind and good instincts. It would be a shame to let them wither. He was already curious about the little side comments and reflections that Tony had added to his 'statement', but he wanted to hear them from the kid personally. Face-to-face.

And to be honest, Gibbs didn't like how DiNozzo sr. had tricked him. The man had obviously known that he wouldn't let Tony go to the station, the moment Gibbs had mentioned it.

Gibbs suddenly realized that DiNozzo sr. had never really agreed to send Tony over, and he also remembered Tony's dejected face when they had said good bye. Had Tony known?

Gibbs clenched his teeth when he realized that, yes, of course Tony had known! The kid had known that they wouldn't see each other again but had been forced to act as if nothing was wrong. That wasn't right. Not at all.

Prize rose from his seat, looking satisfied with himself. "I guess that will do the trick, right Agent Gibbs? There is no reason to bother young Anthony and Mr. DiNozzo in the near future, right?"

The lawyer offered his hand but Gibbs ignored it. He had come to a decision and he was bent on going with it.

"We'll see." His voice was low and menacing and he was quite satisfied to see that Prize actually flinched when he heard it. The Agent turned around and left, leaving the 'statement' and two very confused men behind.

It was time to make a few phone calls.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It had taken more than a few phone calls after all, especially since the Director hadn't been as helpful as Gibbs had hoped. It had taken him an full hour to convince the man that this was the right thing to do and that, _yes_, he knew what he was doing. The Director had finally relented with a gruff _'Don't screw this up_.' and Gibbs had been too reliefed to mind the rebuke.

The meeting with Chief Lancaster had been a little bit less civil, but mostly because Gibbs had been frustrated with the amount of fear and apprehension he had received from the man. Gibbs remembered DiNozzo's words, _'an old friend of mine',_ and was suddenly pretty sure that DiNozzo sr. had another concept of the word 'friend' than most people did.

Lancaster had immediately called the man, who was currently somewhere in Mexico, but Gibbs had just smirked. There was nothing that the older DiNozzo could do right now, since the Director of NCIS and the judge that had signed the papers were most definitely _not_ his friends.

His second unpleasant encounter had been with Mr. Prize. Unpleasant for the lawyer, that is.

The man had waited for him in front of the DiNozzo estate and actually dared to threaten him. "You'll never get away with this" and "Your career is over" and much more stereotyped threats that hadn't fazed Gibbs in the least.

He had ignored the fuming man, knowing full well that Mr. DiNozzo was out of the country and that Prize would have to take the blame, if he didn't manage to stop Gibbs.

When he entered the house Rose was already waiting for him with a bag in her hands, which he took without comment. DiNozzo sr. was obviously not the only person with connections in this house.

She eyed him warily, much like she had done the day before, but finally nodded her approval. Gibbs realized that the woman still didn't trust him but that she also knew that Tony kind of did. And that seemed to be enough. He nodded back and left the house to collect the last piece of his plan.

And that's why, many hours after his first encounter with Mr. Prize, he was standing in front of an all-boys school, waiting for his charge to emerge.

He knew that the last lesson had ended a few minutes ago and waited patiently, a lukewarm cup of coffee clutched in his hand. He was pretty hungry by now since he hadn't had a single bite all forenoon.

Yep, the morning had been hard and stressful, but the look on Tony's face when the kid finally catched sight of him was totally worth it.

The boy had been walking at a quick pace but stopped dead in his tracks when he discovered Gibbs and his car. He just stood there and stared at Gibbs like he was some kind of ghost. Gibbs had to smile when Tony actually looked back as if he expected to see someone else behind him who Gibbs wanted to see , but his brow furrowed in concern when he saw the dark circles under Tony's eyes and his rather stiff posture. The kid couldn't have slept much last night...

Tony seemed to shake himself out of his stupor and approached the Agent and his car. Not smiling and running like Gibbs had imagined he would, but frowning and wary. He didn't look exactly happy to see Gibbs, although it was hard to say. His face was a mess of different emotions. Gibbs thought he saw excitement, pleasure and surprise but also hestitation, anguish, uncertainty and even fear.

The boy had reached him by now but kept his distance and clutched his backpack to his chest like a shield.

"Agent Gibbs." he greeted, just a hint of curiousity in his voice.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at the subdued greeting but decided to play along.

"Anthony DiNozzo."

Gibbs could see that the kid waited for more but he kept his mouth tightly shut. They stared at each other for a whole minute, both too stubborn to ask the first question, and Gibbs was impressed how much self-control Tony seemed to possess. When Gibbs opened his mouth as if to say something but just took a sip from his coffee instead, Tony couldn't take it anymore.

"Why are you here?" he all but blurted and Gibbs had to surpress a snicker at the exasperated expression on his face.

"I'm here to get you. We still need that statement."

Tony looked dumbfounded and a little bit confused. "But you already have it. My father's lawyer should have brought it to you. And my father doesn't want me to get further involved. Didn't they tell you?"

"Yeah I heard something like that." he drawled and opened the passenger door. "Doesn't matter however, since you are now under the protection of NCIS, so hop in already. I don't have all day."

Tony made no move to get into the car and just stared blankly at the man in front of him. "I'm what?"

Gibbs groaned impatiently and showed him the court order that proved that Anthony DiNozzo jr. was now under the protection of NCIS Special Agent Gibbs.

"You are an important witness. You have seen the face of one of the kidnappers and the kidnapper has seen you. If they think that they have killed you with that blow on the head and realize that you are very much alive, and that you could identify them, they could come after you."

It was bullshit and they both knew it.

Gibbs hadn't told the Director that the blow hadn't been nearly hard enough to kill someone, that Tony didn't even suffer a concussion. And he also hadn't mentioned that there was no reason whatsoever to believe that Tony was in any kind of danger.

And Tony knew that too. He wasn't frightened by Gibbs words, only honestly confused. He stared intently at the piece of paper in his hands, as if it held some kind of answer.

"Tony? Are you okay?"

Tony looked up before he seemed to realize that it hadn't been Gibbs who had spoken those words but a kid to his right.

The boy was a lot smaller than Tony but seemed to be around the same age. He had red, short hair and freckles on his nose. He wore the same uniform as Tony, although his seemed too big for him and hung loosely from his shoulders. His eyes wandered from Tony to Gibbs and back and he seemed to be awed and terrified at the same time.

A fond smile crossed Tony's lips when he saw the boy and Gibbs was momentarily stunned and shocked. Stunned, because he realized that this was one of Tony's real smiles and shocked, because he also realized that this was the first time he had seen it.

"Yeah Jimmy I'm fine. This is Agent Gibbs from NCIS."

Jimmy barely glanced at Gibbs. His sole attention was directed at Tony. He stared at him for a few seconds before he suddenly looked like he was about to cry. "I'm so sorry Tony."

Gibbs blinked and so did Tony. "What?"

"Your cheek!" he said, pointing at the fading bruise. "I didn't know that one of them hit you so hard. I'm really sorry..."

Gibbs perked up at that. So this boy had something to do with the bruise on Tony's cheek?

"Don't worry about it." Tony interrupted the rambling boy. "This wasn't your fault." He smiled warmly but Gibbs thought he could see some kind of amused glimmer in his eyes, like he was actually laughing about some joke that only he could understand.

Jimmy looked like he wanted to say more but Tony stopped him with a pat on the back. "Sorry buddy but I have to go now. You see Agent Gibbs here? He's calm now but he gets really grumpy if you let him wait too long."

Before he even knew it, Gibbs was scowling at the two boys and Jimmy actually took a step back.

"Are you sure he's okay?" Jimmy whispered loud enough for Gibbs to hear, although it was obvious that he didn't mean to. Tony glanced at Gibbs with a small smirk on his lips.

"Yeah, he's okay." he whispered back, just as loud as Jimmy had, although Gibbs was sure that Tony actually wanted him to hear it. Jimmy nodded and left without another word.

"So..." Tony drawled while he fiddled with the straps of his backpack, "to the police station it is?"

Gibbs could see that Tony was still a little bit tense and decided that the police station could wait for another hour. He got into the car, Tony hot on his heels. "Nope. We'll make a little detour. Buckle up."

Tony did as he was told. "A detour? Where to?"

Before Gibbs could answer or even start the car, an embarrassing loud rumble echoed through the car.

Tony stared at him in bewilderment before he doubled over and lapsed into a hysterical laughing fit.

The Agent cursed under his breath but his heart wasn't in it. He **was** pretty hungry and fast food could be the means to get to know the kid a little bit better...

TBC

* * *

_**A/N:** Not sure if _I'm satisfied with this one.._. Ah, well, next chapter may have Tony's **and **Gibbs point of view. I'm still undecided. _

_Coming next: Gibbs/Tony's conversation in the diner and case developements! Stay tuned!^^_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Thank you all very much for over 200 reviews! You guys rock!**_

_**A/N:** Sorry for the delay, this chapter needed much work. I also updated my Profile, so if you want to know an interesting tidbid about this story, or better, what's coming afterwards, I would suggest that you drop by... *muahahahahaha*_

_But on with the story... still not betaed, so mistakes are fair game..._

* * *

**The Day Before The Day**

* * *

Chapter 07

Gibbs decided to take Tony to a family restaurant, although he didn't exactly know why since he hated them with a passion. It wasn't as crammed as he had feared, though. The place was actually kinda deserted for this time of day. At least he wouldn't have to deal with stressed parents and whining brats. _'Small mercies'_ Gibbs thought sourly.

The Agent dreaded the day when his own kid would begin to drag him into one of these things. And he had no doubt that he or she would, because all kids seemed to love these places. Even Tony's eyes widened considerably when they entered _"Katie's Family Lair"._ He seemed almost awestruck, with his eyes turning from one end of the room to another, taking everything in like it was the most interesting thing _ever_. Gibbs thought that he looked a little bit too excited, especially for a place like _"Katie's"._ Admittedly, it wasn't the worst restaurant he had been to during his career, but it wasn't the best either.

"Your first time in a restaurant kiddo?" Gibbs couldn't quite hide the sarcasm, but the kid didn't seem to notice.

"Of course not, I've seen countless restaurants with my father. But never something like this!" His eyes shone with wonder while he read the colorful menue, biting his lip with a thoughtful expression on his face. Gibbs had to admit that the sight was rather endearing. _'It's the first time that he actually looks like the twelve-year-old boy he is...'_

Time passed, and what had been kinda cute a few minutes ago, was slowly but surely beginning to upset the older man. While Gibbs had already decided what he wanted to eat, Tony was still leafing through the menue. Back and forth, back and forth, like a broken record. If Gibbs didn't know better he'd say that he kid looked a little bit panicked.

"Would you order already! We don't have all day." he snapped and immediately regretted it when Tony actually flinched back. Why was the kid so damn jumpy all of a sudden? What was so difficult about placing an order?

"What is it?" he asked, softer than before.

Tony tried to appear casual but failed miserably. "Can't decide what to order, that's all."

Gibbs looked down at his own menue, for the first time noticing how thick the book actually was. "To much good things to choose between, huh?"

The kid blushed a crimson red and shifted in his seat and Gibbs had to blink a few times, not quite believing what he saw. Tony and embarrassed wasn't something that he'd thought was possible until now. The kid always seemed so damn sure of himself...

"That's not it." Tony muttered, not meeting Gibbs eyes. "That's all fast food..."

"Yeah. So?"

The kid glanced up, just to immediately look down again, as if he was afraid to see something in Gibbs eyes that he didn't want to see. "So, I've never had fast food before. I don't know whether I'll like what I order..."

Gibbs just stared at the boy, at a loss for words. Tony seemed to mistake his silence for disbelief and added. "Father doesn't want me to eat something... _cheap_. He says that we have to eat like we live. Luxurious." The last word was spat out like something dirty with a bitterness that astonished Gibbs.

Not that he didn't understand Tony's resentment at all.

Okay, so he didn't eat much fast food himself and he would never allow his own children to eat too much of the stuff either, but_ never_? A twelve-year-old boy who'd _never_ had a burger or some fries?

Healthy eating and all that aside, that was harsh. And wrong. Really, really wrong.

Gibbs decided to take matters into his own hands. He yanked the menue out of Tony's hands and called for their waitress _("Hey guys, I'm Cindy. Welcome to Katie's Family Lair.")_ while he tried to ignore the crestfallen look the kid gave him.

Peroxide blonde and blue-eyed Cindy approached their table like a fairy on drugs. The bounce in her step was too overdone and seemed as practiced as the sickenly wide smile on her face. The girl (because she couldn't have been older than 17) immediately attached herself to Tony like he was some super cute puppy, and Gibbs had the sudden urge to bang his head against a wall. Tony seemed to have similar thoughts, judging from the look on his face.

"Hey sweety! Are you and your Dad ready to order?"

Tony shot Gibbs a quick look before he blushed furiously (which elicted a high-pitched "Aww" from their waitress) and began to stutter some kind of gibberish.

"O-Oh no, he's not...not...I mean, I am not....uhh, you see, we are not..."

"We'll both take a cheeseburger with fries. He gets a Coke and for me a glass of water.", Gibbs interrupted, seemingly ignoring Cindy's earlier comment and Tony's embarrassment. He could have easily corrected Cindy's mistake but he didn't see why he should do that. It wasn't her business anyway.

"Okay guys, I'll be right back." the blonde chirped and ruffled Tony's hair before she disappeared into the kitchen. An uncomfortable silence descended upon the two _'guys' _until Gibbs decided to break it.

"So the kid...he's a friend of yours?"

Tony stared at him in confusion and actually muttered the word _'Friend?',_ before realization crossed his face.

"Oh you mean Jimmy?" Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, well I guess..."

"You guess?"

Tony shrugged and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, we hang out from time to time and he comes to me when he has trouble with the older kids. Which he has a lot..." And there it was again, that fond little smile. The smile of a big brother, who is talking about his havoc wreaking little brother. "He's way too smart for his own good, you know?!"

Gibbs felt a wave of pride well up inside of him. He didn't know why he felt proud of a child that wasn't even his own. He just did.

"That's what the kid had been talking about? You got into a fight with some older kids for him?"

Tony blushed under Gibbs intense gaze and looked actually a little bit uncomfortable.

"It was nothing..." He stiffened momentarily and suddenly he smiled and his hand went up to probe the fading bruise on his cheekbone. "Although one of them got me pretty hard." He chuckled as if it was something funny to get hurt during a fight.

"I thought you said that it happened during the fall yersterday?"

Gibbs couldn't hide his suspicion but the kid didn't even miss a beat when he answered with a sheepish expression on his face. "I had totally forgotten about it. I was still a little bit rattled, you know?!"

Gibbs didn't answer immediately.

He had no reason to _not_ believe Tony's story. He was still a little bit suspicious of course, but he was more or less relieved that there was now an explanation that didn't involve child abuse. Gibbs actually thought that it was more plausible that the kid had been hurt while he'd helped his friend. After all, it had been the same with Mia, right? Nevertheless, he would continue to keep an eye on the boy. Tony's behaviour still managed to baffle him at times.

"I see."

Tony looked like he wanted to say something more but Cindy was already back, placing their plates in front of them.

"Enjoy your meal guys. If you need anything, just call."

She seemed to wait for some sort of reaction but disappeared with a huff when she got none. Tony didn't even seem to notice that he had just offended his new admirer, since he stared at his plate with big eyes, as if he saw a bar of gold and not just a greasy cheeseburger.

Gibbs wondered if he should say something but decided to pointedly ignore the boy for now. If he stared at him the kid would just clam up, so he kept his eyes on his own plate, never once looking up while he began to eat his burger.

Only when Tony spoke up a minute later did he dare to glance at the boy. He was highly amused to discover that the kid had already finished his burger. He must have literally devoured the damn thing...

"This was really good!" Tony beamed while he wiped a little bit of ketchup off his chin. "You know what I always wanted to try?"

"What?" Gibbs asked, happy that the kid was finally starting to talk about himself, even if it was just about food.

"Pizza!" Tony exclaimed while he stuffed some fries into his mouth. "All the other kids are always talking about it and since it's an Italian dish it's kinda weird that I've never had one, don't you think so?"

Gibbs just grunted while he finished his burger (which had tasted better than he would have thought) and pushed his fries across the table, in front of Tony. The kid only hestitated a second before he accepted them with a shy smile.

Gibbs watched him eat in silence. So the kid liked pizza, huh? Well, at least he knew what they would have for supper tonight...

"How is the case going?" Tony looked at him with expectant eyes and Gibbs only hestitated a brief moment before he recounted what they knew. He didn't tell the boy everything of course, and he didn't mention that they already knew, thanks to his sketch, that one of the kidnappers was Jeffry Godin, but just talked about an 'acquaintance' of the family that had lost contact with them six months ago.

Gibbs could tell that Tony listened closely, absorbing everything like a sponge. His eyes never left Gibbs face, not even when Cindy came back to clear up their plates. He took every opportunity to ask questions and Gibbs was willing to answer them, quite enjoying the attention. Nickols asked many questions as well, but never like he really wanted to know the answer. Never with this rapt and curious attention in his eyes like Tony did.

"But why did this 'acquaintance' wait six months?" Tony wondered aloud.

It had been one of the first questions Gibbs had asked himself as well and he had finally found an answer when he'd read through Corporal Kent's records last night. He could just tell the boy what he had found of course, but decided against it. He wanted to see if Tony could figure it out by himself.

"What do you think?"

Tony seemed taken aback by the genuine question but didn't dwell on it. He turned his head towards the window and began to watch the passers-by. Everyone else would have mistaken the expression on his face for boredom, but Gibbs wasn't everyone else. He could see that Tony was thinking. Hard.

A few minutes passed in which Cindy brought them the bill and was utterly ignored by Tony, who was still staring out of the window, a light frown on his face.

Gibbs was about to solve the riddle when Tony finally spoke up. "Something must have changed lately. Maybe he has money problems...?" Tony anwered his own question with a curt shake of the head. "No that's not it. This kidnapping had been planned for a long time. You could see that..."

Gibbs waited intently.

Tonys head snapped back toward him with an excited gleam in his eyes. "Something else has changed. Something beyond his control. Something that he had to wait for these past six months..."

Tony looked at him with barely concealed curiosity and Gibbs couldn't surpress a proud smile. Tony couldn't possibly know exactly _what_ had changed, but it was astonishing enough that he'd figured out that it was something that had nothing to do with Godin in the first place. This kid had a sharp mind and quick wit. Something most Agents didn't achieve in years.

"Corporal Kent had been home these past six months because of an injury. Mrs. Kent told us that he spent much time with Mia and always brought her to school. The kid was barely alone. The kidnappers had to wait until her father left home in order to get her alone."

Tony nodded and a sad look crossed his face, no doubt remembering the little, lively girl and wondering what she was going through right now.

The following silence was interrupted by Gibbs cellphone. He got it from his pocket and hoped that it would be Nickols with some informations regarding the 'Kent-case'.

"Gibbs." he barked and was greeted with hysterical sobbing. _'What the-?'_

"I-Is there Agent Gi-Gibbs? This- This is E- Elisa Kent and I- I... oh my God..."

"Mrs. Kent, please calm down and tell me what happened." Gibbs said as reassuring as he could while he stood up and motioned for Tony to follow him.

The woman continued to sob into his ear but it seemed a little bit more controlled than before. "Agent Gibbs, it's about Mia...they- they called! The kidnappers called!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Elisa Kent had stopped crying by the time Tony and Gibbs entered the house not even ten minutes later. Tony was still a little bit dizzy from the drive but didn't mention it this time. Time was of the essence here. Even he knew that.

A young police officer led them into the living room where they found Mrs. Kent. The woman was sitting on the couch with her head resting in her hands. She didn't seem to notice their arrival, until Gibbs cleared his throat. Her head snapped up to look at them and Tony was momentarily stunned speechless.

Elisa Kent was a truly beautiful woman. She had big eyes, a tiny nose and full lips. Her face was something that you saw in fashion magazines and not even the dark circles under her eyes or the smudgy makeup could change that. Her black hair was short and a little bit disheveled. She wore a jeans skirt and a black longsleeve. Tony got finally a good look at her eyes and took a step back.

They were bright blue. Like Mia's.

He felt suddenly oddly uncomfortable around this woman. Why hadn't Gibbs dropped him off at the police station? Why did he have to accompany him? This woman wouldn't want to see him! She wouldn't want to see the boy who had allowed that her little girl got kidnapped!

Her watery eyes turned from Gibbs to Tony. She stared at him for a few seconds before her eyebrows narrowed in confusion. Tony swallowed hard, not sure if he should say something or if he should just turn around and run.

Gibbs chose that moment to place a hand on Tony's shoulder, halting his escape before it could even begin.

"Mrs. Kent, I am Special Agent Jethro Gibbs, NCIS, and this is Anthony DiNozzo. He was the..."

"The witness your partner told me about." Mrs. Kent interrupted him with a soft voice and continued to stare at Tony with wide eyes.

The intense stare unnerved him and Tony felt hot and cold at the same time. Surely she would be furious with him, wouldn't she? She would scream at him and blame him. God, he probably deserved it.

He tried to smile at her but it was more or less a grimace, which dropped completely when the woman left the couch and began to approach him. Would she slap him? Would Gibbs allow it? God, that was probably the only reason why he was here, so that the woman could relieve some stress. His father always seemed a little bit more relaxed after the punishments...

Tony tried to brace himself when the woman crouched down in front of him but couldn't surpress the wince when she lifted her right hand to his face. An odd look crossed her pretty face, but Tony couldn't see it, because he had closed his eyes by then, waiting for the blow that he was sure would come any minute now.

So one can only imagine his surprise when the hand didn't hit him but carefully ruffled his hair. He opened his eyes and saw that the woman didn't glare, but smiled at him with warmth and gratitude in her eyes.

"Thank you Tony."

Tony just blinked at her and heard himself ask, "For what?"

Mrs. Kent didn't take her hand away and her smile turned a little bit sad. "For what? Dr. Mallard told me what happened and that you helped Mia before she was...you know. And he told me that you got hurt when you tried to stop the men from taking her. Not many would have done that. That was very brave of you."

"She was very proud of her ribbons." Tony didn't know why he said that or why he felt like crying but he must have done something right because Mia's mother actually laughed a little bit.

"She had bugged me all morning about them until I finally said yes. She can be really stubborn when she wants to. Like her Daddy." She laughed a little bit harder but a few tears escaped her eyes and Tony had to look down. There was something utterly wrong about seeing her cry. It was like watching someone drink milk out of a beer mug. It wasn't impossible or forbidden, but you shouldn't do it nonetheless because a beer mug just wasn't made for milk.

Elisa Kent's face just wasn't made for crying.

Gibbs hands squeezed his shoulder before it let go. "Mrs. Kent. Can you tell me about that call now?"

The mother blinked owlishly like she'd just awaken from a dream but sent the man a small smile. "Of course Agent Gibbs." She turned back to Tony. "Why don't you go to the kitchen Tony. I've just made some cookies." She blushed under Gibbs and Tony's incredulous looks. "I- I bake when I'm nervous. It keeps me from thinking too much..."

Tony wanted to protest at first but one look from Gibbs and he was out of the room. _Geez_, that Agent could probably get confessions just by looking at the suspects...

He suddenly realized that Mrs. Kent had never told him where he could find that kitchen but he didn't want to go back and ask. So he just strolled aimlessly through the house and only stopped when he passed a commode with lots of picture frames on top of it.

Most of them featured Mia and the different states of her development. There was on picture where she couldn't be older than three or four and where she was playing in the garden with her plush toys. Another picture showed her with a dress that was obviously too big for her. She had put lipstick on...just not only on her lips. Tony smiled a little bit when he imagined how Mrs. and Mr. Kent had come home to discover that their child had raided their garderobes.

He just didn't understand why they would want to take a picture of the mess. When Tony had done something similar shortly after his mother's death, his father hadn't been amused. He had beaten his son for touching his property without his permission. Not exactly a Kodak-moment.

He remembered Mrs. Kents gentle face and chided himself. Of course they had taken a picture of it. They loved their kid after all...

Tony shook his head and tried to concentrade on something else. He didn't want to think about his father right now. His father who would be so royally pissed when he got back and who would blame his son for Gibbs actions.

When Gibbs had told him that he was under the protection of NCIS for the time being, Tony's first reaction had been fury. Why did Gibbs had to go and antagonize his father? He would go away when this was over, but Tony would have to stay and deal with DiNozzo sr's wrath. Tony had also been exited and flattered that the Agent would go to such lenghts to see him again, but he didn't want to go with the man nonetheless.

Not until Jimmy had approached them. Jimmy, who had apologized for the bruise his father had given him, although he couldn't have known that it had been Mr. DiNozzo. And that was the point wasn't it? Jimmy hadn't known that his father would punish him when he'd asked for Tony's help. Like Gibbs couldn't have known that his little stunt would mean a lot of trouble for Tony as soon as his father came back. He wasn't mad at Jimmy, so why should he be mad at Gibbs?

And besides, even if his father used the belt on him, the cheeseburger had been totally worth it! Tony grinned when he remembered the taste of meat and cheese on his tongue and how the ketchup had dribbled down his chin. God, how could he have lived without that stuff until now?

He sobered immediately when another thought occurred to him.

How could he _continue_ to live without it?

His father wouldn't allow fast food in his house but there was still so much to see, so much to try...

Tony didn't know how long he was already standing there, staring at the evidence of a happy childhood, but it must have been long enough to make Mrs. Kent wonder where he was, because she suddenly appeared behind him staring at the pictures with a mournful expression on her face. Her voice startled him because it was suddenly very rough.

"She's a beautiful girl isn't she?"

Tony just nodded, not trusting his voice. She picked up one of the frames, the one where Mia was sitting on the shoulders of a tall man, and started to speak, so low that Tony almost missed it.

"We are very proud of her, you know. Her father, my husband...he practically worships her. She's the only one who can make Corporal James Kent act like a complete idiot." She chuckled softly but there was no humour behind it.

"Will he come home?" Tony couldn't stand the thought that the woman was alone right now, alone with her fear and grief. Her husband should be here, comforting her, telling her that everything would be fine.

"Yeah, but it'll take a week before everything can be arranged." She looked at him as if he tried to decide whether she should tell him more. "But it could be already too late by then, you know?! This call... they want a lot of money. Tomorrow at midday. We have it, you know... but who can guarantee that they'll let Mia go when they have it? Who can guarantee that we'll see our beautiful girl ever again?"

She began to cry again and Tony felt a sudden urge to protect this woman. He had seen his mother cry alot before she died, but she had never looked so...vulnerable. Mia's mother looked like she was about to break.

"You know," Tony said, his voice loud and full of confidence. "Gibbs is a good Agent. I'm sure that he'll find your daughter. And I'm also still around. Believe me, these guys have done a big mistake when they decided to mess with me, Anthony DiNozzo! They won't know what hit them when I'm done with them!" He puffed his chest and felt a smile tug at his lips when Mrs. Kent stopped crying and began to laugh delightfully at his antics.

She ruffled his hair and looked at something behind him.

"Did you hear that Agent Gibbs? Seems like you got some pretty good help here."

Tony whirled around and caught Gibbs amused smile and raised eyebrow from where he had been watching them. "Seems like I have."

Tony felt how a blush crept unto his cheeks and looked at his feet in embarrassment. The woman crouched down in order to look him in the eye.

"Thank you."

Tony only nodded and followed them to the front door to say goodbye. Gibbs and Mrs. Kent probably thought that he had just tried to lighten the mood. That he hadn't really been serious when he'd said that the guys had made a mistake when they had taken Mia in front of his eyes.

But he hadn't joked. Not at all.

All the time he had felt this urge to find Mia and to protect her and that feeling had just amplified when he'd met her mother.

Mia was loved and missed. Her death would destroy many lifes and break many hearts. Tony's death wouldn't destroy anyone, wouldn't break any hearts. His father would probably be glad when he was gone.

But instead of being envious of the little girl and resent her for what she had, Tony wanted to protect it with all his heart. Wanted to save it.

If he couldn't have something like a happy family, then maybe he could help others regain theirs. Maybe he could bring Mia home and at the same time bring back the joy of living and hope that seemed to have left her parents. And maybe they would share their recovered happiness with him, even if it was just for a short while.

It would be enough.

Tony looked back and waved at the woman who stood in the doorway and who would never smile again if something happened to her daughter. A grim determination entered his eyes while he got into the car where Gibbs was already waiting for him.

He would prevent that from happening. Mia was going to come back and she was going to raid her mother's wardrobe and she was going to play with her plush toys in their garden and she was going tomake her father act like a complete idiot. And Mrs. Kent was going to laugh through all of that.

Tony would make sure of that.

No matter what.

TBC

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A/N: Wohoo! Yay for determined Tony! I'm turning him into a little bad-ass hero, don't I?

Next time: More Tony/Gibbs and more about 'the call'! Stay tuned!


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N:**__ Sorry for the long wait. I had problems with my internet connection and had to wait until I could use my brothers computer. Hopefully it will be alright after this weekend. So, as you can imagine the posting of this chapter was a little bit rushed. Please tell me if I missed any major mistakes, like that embarrassing Kodak incident last chapter! I honestly didn't know... :)_

_I had fun writing it but I don't really know if it's okay...see for yourself and tell me what you think! :P_

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The Day Before The Day

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Chapter 08

They reached the motel approximately half an hour after they left the Kent house and Tony had been oddly silent during the ride. But Gibbs was okay with that, since he wasn't in the mood to talk either. The kidnappers had finally called but their demands were alarming.

They wanted a million dollar.

Gibbs had seen higher ransoms during his career, mind you, but the inheritance that Mr. Kent had received from his aunt wasn't even half as much. Godin had to know that. So why was he demanding so much more than the Kent's were able to give? It was almost as if Godin _wanted_ the delivery to fail.

Mrs. Kent had been in tears when she'd told him what the kidnappers had said. That they would send them one of Mia's fingers if they didn't procure the money by tomorrow. It sounded like a threat out of a bad movie, but the very idea was nonetheless terrifying. But a million dollar? Tomorrow? That was almost impossible!

Gibbs wondered if, maybe, Mia's kidnapping had more personal reasons than he'd first thought? Maybe Godin was more interested in seeing the family suffer, than getting the actual money... The idea wouldn't leave him alone, and he was still mulling over it when they reached the motel and entered his room where Ducky was already waiting for them.

The old man greeted Tony with a smile that he reserved for small and frightened children, although Tony was anything_ but_ small and frightened right now. Since his conversation with Mia's mother the kid seemed to walk a little bit straighter and to hold his head a little bit higher. Gibbs didn't know what had brought that change on, but he liked it.

The kid radiated confidence and determination when he walked towards Ducky and offered him his hand. Gibbs had called his friend beforehand and told him what he'd done to ensure that they could keep an eye on the boy. The doctor hadn't exactly approved of his methods, but Gibbs could see that he was just as pleased to see Tony again as Gibbs had been. He took the little hand and shook it warmly.

"Hello Doctor Mallard. It's nice to see you again."

"Ditto my dear boy and please, call me Ducky. I see that you are feeling better. No more headaches?"

Tony smiled and it looked a lot more genuine than the first time he'd talked to the doctor. "No Doctor Mal-, I mean, Ducky. I'm perfectly fine, but thank you for asking."

Gibbs couldn't help but frown. The kid had never been so civil around _him_...

Ducky's eyes were wide with amusement. "Oh my, what a polite young man. You don't see that a lot these days. By the way, hello to you as well Jethro...although _you_ didn't greet me yet, did you?"

Gibbs groaned good-naturally. Tony snickered quietly but Gibbs decided to ignore it for now, although his hand itched to reach out and...

He realized that Ducky was still watching him, waiting for an answer.

"What are you doing here anyway?" he asked rather gruff, still not greeting his friend properly. Ducky was sharing a room with Nickols while Gibbs had a room for his own.

'Well,' he thought, glancing at the boy beside him. 'Not anymore I guess...'

"Agent Nickols is working rather focused in our room and I didn't want to disturb him so I decided to come here and read my book." He held up the book that had been resting in his lap, _'Special Topics in Calamity Physics'(1)_. Gibbs noticed how Tony eyed the book with badly concealed curiosity and wondered if the boy was something of a bookworm. Before he could ask however, a concerned look crossed Ducky's face like a cloud and Gibbs actually dreaded his next words.

"Agent Nickols asked me to send you over as soon as you got back."

Gibbs was instantly annoyed. "Why didn't he just call me? He knows how to do that, right?"

"Of course Jethro. But he seemed really...apprehensive about something. I'm sure, whatever it is, he wanted to tell you about it in person."

Tony had watched the conversation with unreadable eyes and his voice was so soft that the two men almost missed it.

"Sounds bad."

Tony apparently thought that Nickols had bad news about Mia, but Gibbs doubted that. He suspected something else and just the very thought made his blood boil.

"Stay here, boy." he growled and approached the door. He felt vaguely bad for leaving Tony alone with Ducky. The older man would no doubt lapse into one of his storys the minute Gibbs left the room. Admittedly, some of them were quite enthralling when you heard them for the first time, but he wondered nonetheless if Tony wouldn't get bored with the doctor.

But then he remembered who was waiting for him and pushed those doubts away. It wasn't like he wanted to leave either...

But despite all that, he couldn't quite surpress a small smile when he began to close the door behind him and only just heard Tony's indignant voice and Ducky's soft laughter.

"_'Stay here, boy?_' What am I? A dog?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Just 20 minutes later and the little smile was completely gone and Gibbs was fuming in righteous anger. The Agent had many questions right now. _'How could someone like Nickols become an Agent?_', for example. Or, _'Why do I have to deal with this idiot?'_

Although those were good question, he asked another one, one that was even more important right now.

"HOW the hell could you LOOSE evidence?"

While Gibbs and Tony had been with Mrs. Kent, the police had found the stolen car that had been used for the kidnapping, abandoned in a side road just a few miles away from the crime scene. The car had been clean but they had found a cigarette butt in the immediate vicinity.

One of the forensic people had brought it to the present Agent, Warren Nickols.

And that had been the first mistake.

"Honestly Boss," Nickols whimpered, "I don't know how this could have happened. I just wanted to bring it to the lab myself and one moment the evidence bag is in my pocket, and the next it isn't. I searched everywhere but..." he trailed off, not sure how to continue.

Gibbs meanwhile glared daggers at the kid and clenched his fists. He was honestly worried that he would punch Nickols lights out if he didn't occupy his hands in some way. Admittedly, the butt wasn't necessarily from one of the kidnappers, but it was at least some kind of lead.

And Nickols had lost it. Plain and simple, lost it.

Gibbs actually didn't know what to say to that. It was like he was too angry to speak. Like the anger was actually choking him. He hadn't felt like that for a long, long time. But it seemed like words weren't even necessary. Some of the anger must have shown in his eyes, because Nickols began to pale and shiver under his gaze. The kid looked like he was standing in front of his executioner.

And maybe that wasn't even too far from the truth...

Gibbs took a deep breath and when he spoke his voice was low and decidedly deadly. "Special Agent Nickols, you are hereby excluded from the current investigation. As soon as we get back to headquarters, you are to clear your desk and I'm going to put a formal reprimand in your file."

The young Agent paled even more, his face a mixture of shock and disbelief. "What? B-But Boss..."

"Enough!" Gibbs bellowed and Nickols flinched back. "You screwed up and I can't use someone like that on my team. As soon as we get back, you are off my team, you understand?"

Nickols opened and closed his mouth a few times, before he just nodded meekly. He seemed dazed and Gibbs doubted that he even grasped what just happened.

It wasn't that Gibbs wasn't willing to give second chances if he saw that the Agent was worth it. But Nickols was definitely _not_ worth it. He would never become a decent field Agent. He just didn't have that certain something that you needed for this job.

Gibbs began to get frustrated. Another Agent gone for good. Would he never find a decent senior field Agent?

He turned his back on the stunned man and sighed wearily. "Come tomorrow morning to my room. I have one last task for you."

He didn't wait for an answer, just opened the door and left. He went towards his own room but stopped in front of the door instead of entering. Gibbs was still angry but even more so exhausted. Tomorrow was the day of the delivery and he had a bad feeling about it. His gut told him that something bad would happen, and he could usually trust his gut...

A ripple of laughter interrupted his dark thoughts and he needed a moment to realize that it was muted because it came from the other side of the door. He silently opened it and peeked into the room. The sight that greeted him made him forget all his anger and frustration, and Gibbs couldn't help the small smile that crept onto his lips.

Ducky was still sitting on the bed, the book forgotten in his lap. He was currently waving his arms in a way, that let you forget how old the man already was. Tony was sitting on the floor in front of him, laughing so hard that he had tears in his eyes.

Gibbs wondered briefly which story Ducky was telling the boy. It had to be one of the funny ones. Maybe the story about his time in Canada where he...

"And what happened next?" Tony asked suddenly, the previous laughing fit still evident in his voice. The two were so engrossed in their conversation that they still hadn't noticed Gibbs arrival.

"Well my dear boy, he was obviously quite embarrassed, although he sure knew how to hide it. We _did_ have to evacuate the whole floor for a few hours after all..." he chuckled fondly. "Jethro didn't leave a good first impression, to say the least."

When Gibbs finally realized _what_ exactly Ducky was talking about, he actually blushed a little bit. He cleared his throat and two heads turned into his direction. Tony grinned sheepishly but Ducky didn't seem to be embarrassed at all. He smiled an innocent smile, as if he _didn't_ just tell Tony about the most embarrassing day in Gibbs life.

"Oh Jethro. I just told young Anthony about your first day at NCIS."

"Yeah, I heard that." Gibbs drawled.

Tony snickered, but stopped immediately when he saw the dark look in Gibbs eyes. Ducky rose from the bed and approached the door, steering clear of the fuming Agent. "I guess I'll return to my room now. Good night Anthony, Jethro. I'll see the both of you tomorrow."

Before either of them could respond, Ducky was gone, leaving Gibbs and Tony alone again. Tony began to look around the room as if he was seeing it for the first time, before a confused expression crossed his face.

"Where do I sleep? There is just one bed."

It was a king-size bed and would have been big enough for the both of them but Gibbs didn't think that it would be a good idea to share a bed with a twelve-year-old boy, no matter the circumstances, so he pointed at the niffy couch in the other corner of the room.

"You can have the bed, I'll take the couch."

"You really don't have to..." Tony muttered.

"I know I don't." Gibbs tone was final but Tony didn't seem to notice. Or he just ignored it, Gibbs was never sure with that boy.

"No no no! I'll take the couch and you'll take the bed."

"Don't argue with me over this kiddo. The bed is yours!"

Tony looked at him like he was a little bit slow on the uptake. "But you are old! The couch will hurt your back!" he exclaimed.

"Old?" Gibbs spluttered. He wasn't old! He was old_er_, okay, but 30-something was definitely not _old_, right?!

"DiNozzo..." he warned and took a menacing step forwards.

Tony took a step back but didn't seem afraid at all. "Gibbs..." he mimicked with a stubborn frown on his face.

God, since when did that child act so...well, like a child?

The situation could have escalated rapidly in the next few minutes if Gibbs cell phone hadn't decided to ring in that exact moment. Gibbs shot Tony a last scowl that clearly said _'This isn't over yet'_, before he picked up and barked into the receiver.

"Gibbs."

_"Oh my, why so gruff?"_

Gibbs mood lightened immediately. Shannon's voice always had that effect on him.

"Hey honey." he replied softly and decidedly ignored Tony's surprised expression. "Why do you call? Is something wrong with the baby."

She snorted. A sound that was meant to show how frustrated she was, but sounded like music to Gibbs ears. _"Oh the baby is just peachy. It's me you should be worried about. My feet are killing me and I can't even see them, isn't that unfair?"_

She sounded tired and annoyed but Gibbs couldn't blame her. Their little offspring was two weeks late and showed no sign of wanting to leave its safe haven in Shannon's belly. Gibbs would have been worried if his wife hadn't told him that something like that was normal in her family. She herself had been three weeks late.

_"What about the case?"_ she suddenly asked. _"Did you find the little girl yet?"_

"Not yet. But we are close." She didn't ask any more questions, since she knew that he didn't like to talk about his cases with her, so she began to tell him about her latest meeting with the gynecologist.

Shannon still didn't want to know whether the child would be a boy or a girl.

_'Where would be the kick, if we already know it?'_ she always said when Gibbs tried to change her mind. The hardboiled Marine thought that a birth was _'kick'_ enough, but his wife seemed to think different. They talked for a while and although Tony seemed to be more interested with his nails, Gibbs knew that he was listening closely.

It was time to hang up when Shannon began to yawn in the middle of sentences. _"I'm tired. I think I'll go to bed early today."_

Gibbs nodded although she couldn't see him. "Yeah do that. And don't overdo it."

_"What? You mean I can't run the marathon tomorrow?"_

Gibbs couldn't help but smile. The pregnancy had revealed a pretty sarcastic Shannon. He wondered if she would disappear as soon as the baby was born but hoped against it. He found that side of his wife actually rather endearing.

"Just be careful. I love you."

_"Love you too."_

He finished the call, feeling a lot better than just a few minutes ago. Gibbs didn't even have time to put the phone away, when Tony was already at his side, staring at him with wide eyes.

"You have a kid?" he blurted. He sounded surprised and a little bit shocked, but beneath that, there was another emotion. Something Gibbs couldn't quite name.

"Will have." he replied. "It's only a matter of days, though."

"Days?" Tony gulped. "And why are you here?"

Gibbs stared at the boy for a long moment, before he came up with the only answer he could think of. "Because I'm needed here."

And it was true. Shannon was a strong and independent woman with many friends who were able to help her while he was away. She didn't need him to hold her hand all the time, nor did she want him to.

But Mia had no one to hold her hand and she could definitely need it right now. She needed his help and although Gibbs wasn't arrogant enough to say that there was no one else who could have handled this case, he was reflective enough to know that he _was_ one of the best. And Mia deserved nothing less than the best, right now.

He could see it in Tony's eyes when the boy understood what he was trying to say and accepted it. There was sympathy, but also admiration in his gaze.

Gibbs was suddenly sure that the boy would say something meaningful, something that would shed light on his own mindset and would help Gibbs understand him a little bit better. The silence seemed to indicate the beginning of a new understanding between the two of them. Well, until Tony opened his mouth, that is...

"You reek."

"And why is that?" Gibbs huffed angrily and the '_magical'_ moment was gone as fast as it had come. It was true, though. He did....well, smell. He had been running around all day for the papers and Tony's stuff and it had been a pretty hot day. A shower would be nice right now.

The Agent was already on his way to the bathroom when he remembered something from earlier. He took out his cell phone and began to dial.

"What are you doing?" Tony ask warily.

"I order a pizza." _'Although I really don't know why I bother...'_ he added in his head.

Tony's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Pizza? Seriously?"

Gibbs just nodded while he ordered a medium-sized pizza with pepperoni. Only when he hung up did he notice how the kid was jumping up and down, a goofy grin on his face.

_'Well, maybe I know it after all...'_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The shower had been long and hot, exactly how Gibbs liked it. There had been one moment when Tony had knocked at the bathroom door, shouting something about being _'bored out of his mind.'_

"Then watch some TV!" he'd shouted back.

There had been a stunned silence before he'd heard a hestitant. "Really? I can watch TV?"

Gibbs had briefly wondered if Tony wasn't allowed to watch TV at home but masked the uneasy feeling with irritation. "Of course! That's what the damn thing is there for!"

Tony hadn't said anything else after that and Gibbs had finally been able to relax and ponder over some things. Mainly his little guest. First no fast food and now no TV? What kind of father forbade his son everything that was even remotely fun? What was wrong with DiNozzo sr.?

Gibbs turned off the water and exited the shower, feeling refreshed and ready for tomorrow. He put on his old sweatshirt and sweatpants. When he finally left the bathroom, the sight that greeted him let him stop cold in his tracks. Gibbs had left Tony a twenty dollar bill, in case the delivery boy arrived while he was still in the shower.

It was a good thing that he had.

Tony was sitting cross-legged on the bed, staring intently at the TV screen in front of him. One hand was holding the remote control, while the other held a slice of pizza. The open pizza box was resting in his lap.

The almost _empty_ open pizza box, to be exact.

Tony finally noticed him and looked up, his face flushed in exitement. "Agent Gibbs, do you know this 'Roger Moore'? He's playing this James Bond and I think he's something like an Agent, like you, but I'm not sure yet because I just switched on and..." he trailed off when he realized that Gibbs didn't even seem to listen and followed his gaze to the box.

He stared at the lonely slice of pizza, the last remains of a medium-sized pizza, and chuckled sheepishly.

"Oops. Sorry Agent Gibbs, I got a little bit carried away but pizza is even more awesome than I ever imagined. Guess we'll have to order another one...Hey!" he snapped his fingers. "Maybe this time one with extra cheese, yes?"

Gibbs just groaned and ran a hand through his hair.

God, he'd created a monster!

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A/N: Oh you don't even know the half of it, Gibbs... *snicker* Please review!^^

(1) I've just finished "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" by Marisha Pessl and just HAD to mention it here in some way, because I LOVED IT! Go read it! :)


	9. Chapter 9

_**Thank you for your lovely reviews**! They are really addictive so please keep them coming or I'll get all jittery and can't write anymore! :)_

_**A/N:** Man this was really easy to write...seems like I'm a sucker for angst! :P_

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**The Day Before The Day**

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Chapter 09

When Tony awoke the next morning he needed a few seconds to remember where he was, and when he did he couldn't help but be amazed about all the things that had happened to him in the last 24 hours. Just yesterday morning he'd thought that he would never see Agent Gibbs ever again and now he was sharing a motel room with the man, miles away from his father.

He snuggled deeper into his blanket, a content smile on his lips.

The bed was by no means nearly as comfortable and soft as his double bed at home and the mattress needed a thorough clean-up, but even though, for some strange reason, Tony had never slept so good in his entire life like.

Maybe he'd been just exhausted, but maybe it had something to do with the amazing evening he'd spent with Gibbs before going to bed.

The second pizza had been as amazing as the first and although he'd been practically bursting at the seams, Tony would have ordered a third one without hestitation if not for Gibbs resounding and resolute "No!".

And then there had been the movie. His father _did _allow him to watch TV, but only the newscast or the weather report, never just for entertainment purposes. And this 'James Bond' guy had been mind-blowing entertainment. Tony had always known that there were other things on TV than newscasts, since his friends always talked about the things they had watched on the weekend, but he'd never suspected that these things were so_...exciting_.

It was like you were plunging into another world altogether, like your worries don't count as much as they used to while you watch how Mr. Bond tries everything to rescue the nice looking lady. You can forget yourself in the depths of the plot and the characters.

Maybe that was the reason why his father never allowed him to watch ordinary movies. Because he couldn't reach and control his son while he watched them. Because, for one and a half hour, Tony DiNozzo would be devoid of fear and worry.

Gibbs had stayed with him and watched the movie, although Tony could tell that he wasn't exactly a fan, if the bored expression was anything to go by.

"It's okay you know." Tony had said at one point when Gibbs had rolled his eyes at one particular scene. "You really don't have to watch this with me."

"Well, actually I kinda have. The room isn't big enough to escape this stupidity and I'm not going to spend the rest of the evening in the bathroom."

Tony had immediately grabbed the remote control, horrified that he had been so selfish and taken advantage of Gibbs hospitality. "I'm sorry Agent Gibbs." But before he could push the off-switch, Gibbs had removed the remote from his tiny hands and placed it on the nightstand, way out of Tony's reach.

"It's okay kiddo. You like it, we watch it." After a few seconds he'd added, "There's nothing even halfway decent on anyway."

But Tony hadn't even listened anymore. He'd stared at the TV screen in front of him, blinking rapidly so the tears that began to gather behind his eyes wouldn't fall. He didn't even know why he had the sudden urge to weep like a little girl.

Okay, so his father had never done anything for his son that didn't benefit himself in some way, and even strangers seemed to care more about Tony than DiNozzo sr. ever would. But Tony already knew those things, they weren't new to him, so there was absolutely no reason to cry. And why was that hollow feeling in his gut even more noticable around Gibbs? Why was he suddenly so damn sensitive about the simplest things?

The urge to let the tears fall was almost overwhelming but Tony managed to control himself until the movie was over and it was time to go to bed.

Gibbs hadn't tucked him in and Tony hadn't really expected him to since Gibbs didn't seem the kind of man that would do something like that. But he _had_ placed a glass of water on Tony's nightstand in case he got thirsty during the night. The act had been simple but at the same time very thoughful and Tony had fallen asleep with a smile on his face.

It seemed like the smile hadn't left his face the whole night since he was still wearing it when he woke up the next morning. But now, the longer he lay awake, eyes still closed, the more it was fading until it was completely gone.

He would miss this. This light-heartedness. To wake up without dreading the upcoming day. Without having to face his father.

In the past Tony had felt awful for having such thoughts, especially after his mother had died. He'd been sure that his father was just mourning his wife's death and that he needed his sons support and that Tony was an awful child for fearing the man that he was supposed to love.

So he'd tried everything he could to show his father (and in some way also himself) that everything would be alright and that they just had to stick together. Tried everything to make the man proud of him. He'd done everything to improve his grades and every day after school he would pour his father his favorite drink, show him his A's and B's and tell him about his day.

And when his father scolded or even 'punished' him when he heard something that he didn't like (which happened almost everyday), Tony would tell himself that he must have done something wrong and that he just had to try harder the next time. That everything would be alright, if he just _kept trying_.

But it never did.

It only got worse and one day, the day when his father had scarred him for life with that damn belt of his, Tony had given up.

He was still a good student, but mostly for his own benefit now since he didn't try to brag about it in front of his father anymore. He only poured his father a drink when the man distinctly ordered him to and he kept his reports as short as possible.

From time to time Tony would sit in his own room, staring out of the window and feeling something like self-hatred. In those moments he would curse his own weakness because he was sure that, if he'd just kept trying a little bit longer, then everything would have been alright. That it was his own fault that his father couldn't love him because he had been too weak, hadn't fought hard enough for this love.

Of course there was always a small part of him that knew, beyond a doubt, that it wasn't his fault at all. That his father was a very sick man that should have never been allowed to have children. But that part was _very_ small...

Sometimes, Tony would imagine how his life would be with a father that cared about him. This imaginary father would play baseball with him in the park around the corner and would pick him up after school, waiting by his car until his son came running towards him.

Like Gibbs had done.

Tony immediately remembered the phone call Gibbs had received the previous day and the revelation that the Agent was going to be a father himself. The revelation hadn't been_ that_ surprising, really. Gibbs was a handsome, and under all that gruff exterior, nice man with a decent job. It was understandable that he would start a family of his own.

No, what had surprised Tony and even shocked, stunned and scared the shit out of him, had been his own thoughts when Gibbs told him about his imminent parenthood.

_'I want to be that kid.'_

And _Hell_, but he really shouldn't think something like that! It was irrational and even dangerous. No matter how much Gibbs cared about him, as soon as this whole ordeal was over they would never see each other ever again. Gibbs would have to return home to his own family. If Tony got too attached to the man, it would be hard to let him go and return to his old life. To his violent father and to a house without fast food and James Bond...

_'But maybe you don't have to.'_ A little voice whispered in his head.

Tony shook his head to get rid of it, although he knew that it was right. Maybe, if he showed Gibbs his back which was still red and sore, then maybe he would help him, make sure that DiNozzo sr. could never do something like that again.

Tony had to smile a little bit at that.

No, not maybe. He _definitely _would help Tony. Gibbs wouldn't let him go back to a man that was constantly hurting him. Gibbs was a good man that would do everything he could to keep the boy safe, but did Tony really want to take the risk? Tony sighed and buried his head in his pillow.

Yes, he_ wanted_ to take the risk, but this wasn't about what he wanted.

It never was.

"What's with all the sighing? You ill?"

Tony flinched a little at the unexpected voice. When he opened his eyes it was to see Agent Gibbs standing over him, already fully clothed. He was frowning but Tony could clearly see the genuine worry in his eyes. He felt a little pang in his chest but pushed it away and covered his depressed mood with a dazzling smile. "Nah. Just had a nice dream, that's all."

"Oh?" Gibbs said, an amused smile on his lips. He sobered almost immediately however. "Get up and put some clothes on. It's going to be a long day."

Tony didn't need another reminder. Today was the day of the delivery. Today was the day that would most certainly tell them if Mia was still alive and whether the kidnappers were really going to give her back.

Tony still didn't know what the kidnappers had said when they had called, and it bothered him. He'd been too overwhelmed yesterday to ask for any details but he was all the more curios now.

"What do they want exactly? What's going to happen today?"

Gibbs looked at him with unreadable eyes and for a moment there, Tony was sure that the Agent wouldn't say anything. It wouldn't surprise him too much since he was only a kid and this wasn't exactly his business, but he had to ask. He had to know if Mia had any chances, whether he would be able to see her again.

But Gibbs surprised him. The Agent stared at him for a few seconds before he gave a curt nod, lowered himself onto the bed and began to tell him every little detail about what was going to happen today.

The synopsis was rather simple: The kidnappers had instructed Mrs. Kent to bring the money to Fifth Avenue, dead on two o'clock. She was to deposit the money in the garbage can in front of the St. Patrick's Cathedral and leave it there. They would let Mia go as soon as they had the money.

"We already positioned a few men all around Fifth Avenue who are going to keep an eye out for the kidnappers and we are prepared to block all roads as soon as we know which way they are going. We'll only use them however if they let Mia go while they are still on Fifth Avenue, otherwise we are going to follow them to their hideout."

Gibbs didn't sound triumphant or confident but troubled and Tony knew why.

"It's too easy, right?"

Gibbs only nodded and the dark scowl on his face deepened.

It really was too easy. The kidnappers would never be able to get away undetected, especially not when the police had enough time to swamp the entire Fifth Avenue with disguised policemen. Either Mia's kidnappers were really stupid amateurs, or they had an ace up their sleeves. Tony really hoped that it was the former but doubted it.

Without another word the boy went into the bathroom. A few minutes later he re-emerged, fully clothed and ready to bring Mia home. Tony approached the door and only stopped when he realized that Gibbs didn't follow. The Agent regarded him with an odd look and Tony raised an impatient eyebrow.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go already."

Gibbs groaned but there was something like pride shining in his eyes. "Sorry kid, but you're not going anywhere. You'll stay here and wait until we get back."

"What?" Tony screeched, although he really hadn't expected anything else. He wasn't stupid after all, but he'd vowed to bring Mia back. Now, he had no illusions about his role in this case. He wouldn't be the one to bring the kidnappers down, but he wanted to be there when Gibbs did so. He wanted to be some kind of help, any kind.

That's why, although he already knew that it was pointless, he tried to change Gibbs mind.

"You'll leave me here?" he asked and feigned a hurt look. "All alone? I thought I was under the protection of NCIS?"

Gibbs reaction wasn't what he'd expected. The Agent actually looked quite uncomfortable all of a sudden and was that..._sympathy_? A sudden knock at the door interrupted whatever Gibbs was going to say next and the look on his face grew even darker.

Tony had suddenly a very bad feeling about this...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_"No way_!" Tony hissed under his breath. "You can't do this to me! That guy hates my guts!"

"And you can't stand him just as much, don't you?" Gibbs hissed back but a lot louder than Tony had which caused Nickols head to turn into their direction from where he was waiting with Ducky.

The young Agent glared at the boy from across the room and Tony glared right back. Gibbs was right. He couldn't stand the other Agent ever since he'd first met the man. Tony had immediately known that there was something seriously wrong with that person. His eyes were sneaky and calculating, much like those of his father.

And the fact that he had been sloppy with important evidence (which Gibbs had told him while they'd munched the second pizza), hadn't exactly reduced Tony's dislike of the man either. And now he had to stay here with this SOB while Gibbs and Ducky went out to rescue Mia.

Mia who had screamed _'his_' name while she'd been dragged away and who was therefore_ 'his'_ responsibility.

"I want to come!" Tony said and could barely keep himself from stamping his foot. He didn't think that something like that would impress Gibbs.

"No." Gibbs voice was flat but at the same time unyielding. "You'll stay here with Agent Nickols and wait until we get back. That's my last word."

"But why Nickols?" he whined, loud enough for the Agent to hear, who was instantly glaring daggers at him. "Can't Ducky stay with me?"

Said doctor excused himself from the young man and approached Tony and Gibbs when he heard his name. "I'd love to my dear boy, but I'm afraid I can't. Jethro asked me to be there in case they find Mia and she is injured."

Tony wanted to protest. Say something like _'That's what the paramedics there for'_ but bit his tongue because that wasn't the point. The point was, that Gibbs trusted Ducky and that the doctor would do everything he could to not only keep the little girl save but also to make her comfortable. Gibbs would feel better if someone he could trust would treat Mia in case she needed it and Tony could understand that.

He was about to say as much, when Gibbs cell phone began to ring. The Agent looked at the display and frowned a little bit before he excused himself with a wave of his hand and went into another corner of the room.

Tony couldn't help but stare at the man's back. He was really curious about that phone call... Ducky seemed to mistake the curious look on his face for worry because he patted Tony on the shoulder and send him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. Jethro is a good Agent. He'll find Mia."

"I know he will." Tony mumbled. "But it's hard to sit here and do nothing. I want to help in some way. The waiting is going to kill me..."

The smile never left Ducky's face while he began to rummage through his pockets and produced a cell phone. It was an old version, at least five years old and almost as big as a regular phone. It must have been green once but years of use had turned that color into something else, something that you would never find in your paintbox. The antenna was almost as thick as Tony's little finger.

"You know what." the older man exclaimed and thrusted the monstrosity into Tony's hands who took it after some hestitation. "You take my phone and I promise you that I'll get Jethro to call you as soon as we have Mia and let her speak to you, okay? So she'll know that you didn't forget her."

It was one of the few times in his life that Tony honestly didn't know what to say.

He had never liked doctors very much, possibly because the only doctors he had ever seen had worked for, or were friends with, his father. So when they discovered the abuse, they never mentioned it, acted like it wasn't there, even if it was the very reason why they needed to patch him up. Tony had always hated their hypocrisy. Acting like they wanted to help, even swearing the Hippocratic oath, although they were just as corrupt as anyone else.

He had soon learned never to trust a physician, but right now, he felt like he could actually trust one of them. Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard to be exact.

The man had shown him nothing but kindness since he'd met him and Tony felt actually rather ashamed that he had been so cold towards the doctor when they had first met, although Ducky sure didn't seem to hold it against him.

If only Ducky could be his physican and not the smeary Dr. Benson, who was always grinning at him like Tony was part of some cruel joke he just didn't know of yet.

"Thank you." The words were chocked off and Tony really hoped that Ducky wouldn't notice, but before the doctor could even react they were both startled by a sudden shout.

"WHAT?"

Gibbs was now pacing up and down, the phone furiously pressed against his ear. His face was bright red while his eyes were dark pools and Tony's face fell. Something bad must have happened.

"We're on our way!" he barked and ended the call without another word.

"What is it Jethro?" Ducky asked and his voice was full of anxiety while he watched how Gibbs gathered his things, even his gun and extra ammo.

Gibbs didn't stop and didn't look up and his voice was strained when he finally spoke. "The kidnappers apparently called again, shortly after we left yesterday. They told Mrs. Kent that they knew that the police was involved and that, if she wanted to see her daughter ever again, she was to keep this second call a secret. They even played a tape where she could hear how Mia cried to show them how serious they were." He suddenly looked up and stared at Tony as if he just realized that he was still there, but the boy kept his expression emotionless although he was seething inside, and the Agent continued. "They changed the location and time of the delivery to Chelsea Piers. Kent was so shocked by the second call that she decided not to tell us but changed her mind after she thought about it the whole night."

Tony swore under his breath. He didn't need to be a seasoned Agent to know why Gibbs was so pissed about this new revelation. Countless policemen had already positioned themselves on Fifth Avenue. It would be one hell of a pain in the ass to reposition them, especially if they didn't have much time anymore.

"What's the time of the delivery now?" Tony heard himself ask and Gibbs glanced at his watch before he practically flew to the door.

"It's in 20 minutes."

Ducky followed suit and they were gone without another word. Tony however, wasn't offended by the lack of any goodbyes. They hadn't time for that right now.

He stood in the room and stared at the door, biting his lip and cursing those Bastards that had little Mia. So they weren't stupid amateurs after all. They would never be able to reposition all those forces in time to be able to observe the delivery properly. To let a mother hear her crying and frightened child was a damn good leverage and every other mother wouldn't have called the police.

But Mrs. Kent wasn't stupid, Tony knew that. She must have known that Gibbs and his team where her only chance right now.

Tony only hoped that she was right.

He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he almost didn't notice how Nickols grabbed the car keys and his gun and approached the door.

"Where are you going?" he asked, although he already had a pretty good idea.

"Chelsea Pier." the Agent answered without turning around. "I'm an Agent and not a babysitter and I'm going to prove it to Gibbs."

_'I could stop him.'_ Tony realized. One quick call and Gibbs would scream some sense into this person. One quick call and he could warn Gibbs that a wayward Agent was on his way to them. Yeah, he could stop him.

Problem was, he _didn't_ want to.

"I'm coming with you." he said instead and followed Nickols into the corridor.

The young man stopped immediately and swirled around to face the cocky youth. "Oh no you don't. You'll stay here and wait. You already caused enough trouble."

Tony wondered briefly when exactly he'd caused any trouble but decided to ignore that comment for now. "Either you take me with you, or I'll call Gibbs before you even have the chance to prove him your worth and play the hero. It's your call, although I really don't think that he'll be too pleased to hear about your little plan..."

Nickols stared at the boy like he was about to strangle him but eventually huffed a grumpy "Fine." and resumed his walk towards the rental. Tony couldn't help but grin a little bit, while he followed the man through the corridor.

He wondered what Gibbs would say right now and was positive that it wouldn't be very nice. Tony knew that he was doing something stupid right now. That he was probably even endangering himself by going to the delivery.

But he had to.

It was a strange and unfamiliar feeling, but he just knew that he couldn't sit in that motel and wait. Not when he could do something to help Mrs. Kent and Mia get back together.

His own safety wasn't important right now.

Besides, what did life have in store for him, other than an abusive father and a future business career that he would hate and that would eat him up from the insides? He was worthless anyway wasn't he? He could at least sacrifice his worthless-self for the greater good, for a life that deserved to be happy and to grow up.

But what was he thinking anyway? It wasn't like he would suddenly find himself in the middle of a shooting or hostage situation. Mr. _'I-want-to-be-a-good-Agent'_ would probably make him wait in the car.

What could possibly go wrong?

TBC

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**_NEW A/N: _**I changed the place of the new delivery to Chelsea Piers!!!! Thanks to 'brill' for pointing that out!!!

_I actually have two different ideas for the next chapter and I am really not sure which one I should write since they have both kinda the same outcome, **SO I LET YOU DECIDE:**_

_**Do you want the "Tony get's himself kidnapped" version, or the "Tony gets himself into trouble because he is stupidly brave and really shouldn't have been left alone" version, a.k.a "Kidnapped Tony" or "Stupidly Brave Tony"?????????**_

_**Review now and tell me!!!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: WoW, almost 70 reviews? o.0 Hmmm, maybe I should always ask some kind of question at the end of the chapter... *LOL*_

_Sooo, 'Stupidly Brave Tony' won, albeit barely. Many of you have mentioned that I should combine both versions and while I read those reviews I got an idea how that would be possible and I liked it very much and... well, to make it short:** You get the combination!!! *throws confetti*** It's hard to explain how I combined 'Stupidly Brave Tony' with 'Kidnapped Tony' but I hope you'll get it when you read it. I think it's something a stupidly brave Tony would have done... And I take 'gets himself kidnapped', quite literally... *snicker*_

_**AAAAAND,** *drum roll* **THIS STORY IS FINALLY BETA'ED**!!! Wooot! Bow your head and appreciate the great **Keahi Spitfire** for reading this story over and eliminating my mistakes and helping me with the punctuation and grammar!!! Once again (although I have done this alot already and am probably annoying you by now) thank you so much for your help! *hugs* All remaining mistakes are my own!_

_**Important:** I changed the place of the second delivery. It's now Chelsia Piers!!!! Many thanks to 'brill' for suggesting it!_

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The Day Before The Day

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Chapter 10

The ride to Chelsia Piers was made in complete silence and Tony was actually rather grateful for that. He had no intention in making small talk with Nickols. Especially since the man had forced him to sit on the back seat because he was_ 'too small'_ to sit in the front. Tony had wanted to point out that Gibbs didn't seem to think that he was too small, but decided to keep his mouth shut rather than pick a fight. The Agent was currently gripping the steering wheel so hard, his knuckles turned white. He continued to speed through the city like a madman.

Still, his driving wasn't nearly as bad as Gibbs'...

Tony was worried nonetheless. He could only see the back of Nickols head, but the rearview mirror showed narrowed eyes that held a disturbing gleam. The boy began to wonder if he'd made a mistake when he hadn't stopped Nickols back at the motel.

What if the Agent made a mistake and endangered Mia's life? What if Gibbs had everything under control and Nickols blew the plan with his appearance?

The boy felt sick to his stomach at the thought, but there was no turning back now. They were almost there, and the young Italian doubted that he could convince Nickols to turn around. Tony looked through the car window to his right and frowned when he realized that everything looked perfectly normal.

No police cars, no patrolling policemen, no roadblocks...

The streets were actually kinda deserted. He could see an old woman with her dog, and a young couple that was kissing each other fervently. Tony stared at the couple for a few seconds before he shook his head and looked away. He didn't understand why adults liked this whole kissing thing so much. It was just..._yucky_.

Nickols was suddenly veering into an empty parking spot. He stalled the engine with a curse on his lips and began to check his gun and holster.

Tony leaned forward to get a better look of their surroundings and realized that Nickols had parked at least two streets away from their destination. Maybe the jerk wasn't so dumb after all...

Nickols checked his watch and cursed under his breath. "Shit, I'm already late. "He opened the driver's door, but before he could get out of the car he turned around to give Tony a look that was probably meant to be stern. "You'll wait right here in the car, got it?"

Tony wasn't sure whether he should protest or not. He didn't want to hamper Gibbs in any way and endanger the delivery, but he didn't want to sit here and wait either. That's not what he was here for, was it? He was here to be part of the rescue and to help.

So although a voice in his head (that sounded suspiciously like Gibbs) told him to _'Stay in the car, for God's sake'_, he opened his door and attempted to follow Nickols. His left foot was still in the car when the Agent realized what Tony was trying to do. He glared at him over the top of the rental and shouted: "Are you deaf, boy? I said wait in the car!"

The young man sounded genuinely livid, but Tony was no longer listening. He had stopped in his tracks as soon as he'd noticed the two figures that were currently running down the street.

Both of them were men, but that's where the similarities ended.

One of them was very tall with reddish brown hair. He was wearing a black coat and a cap. It covered the upper half of his face so Tony could only see his mouth which was set into a grim, unhappy line. The other man was a lot shorter and had a larger frame. He was wearing the same coat as the redhead, but lacked a cap, so Tony was able to see his hairy face.

It took Tony only a second to realize that he _knew_ that face and another to realize that he should probably warn Nickols that the kidnappers were running _right towards them_.

"Nickols! Watch out!"

But Nickols, dumb and stupid son of a bitch that he was, didn't notice the edge of panic in Tony's voice. Instead of producing his gun and pointing it at the approaching criminals, he did the stupidest thing that he could have done right then.

He faced Tony and effectively turned his back on the two men.

"That's Agent Nickols to you, and I suggest you - "

Tony would never know what Nickols wanted to suggest because 'Redhead' had finally reached the unaware man and knocked him out with the butt of a gun that appeared out of nowhere.

Nickols looked disturbingly like a puppet whose strings had been cut when he dropped to the ground. Tony could only see his legs since the car obscured his body, and he only dared to breath again when he saw those legs twitch a little bit.

Not dead then. At least not yet.

'Redhead' didn't waste any time and bent down to pat the pockets of the unconscious man, probably searching for the car keys. The other man was still a few feet away, breathing heavily and almost running backwards in order to keep an eye out for their pursuers.

In other words: neither men were paying _any_ attention to Tony, who was still standing in the door, one foot on the street and the other in the car. He seriously doubted that they had even seen him to begin with.

Tony was surprised at how clear his mind was and that he wasn't panicking. Admittedly, his heartbeat had picked up and his palms were getting sweaty where his hands had grabbed the edge of the car door, but he wasn't exactly scared. He kept perfectly still while he watched the two men, as he debated fiercely with himself about what his next step should be.

He could run. Tony doubted that they would try to stop him, if they even noticed his escape at all. 'Redhead' hadn't shot Nickols after all, and they seemed to be in quite a hurry. No, running would be no problem and, Tony had to admit, it would be the logical choice. The choice everyone with a little bit of common sense and intelligence would make.

Tony almost smiled at the thought. Well, his father always told him how stupid he was, didn't he?

These two men were their only connection to Mia and Tony wasn't oblivious enough to miss the fact that there were still no policemen in sight, let alone Gibbs.

What if the two disappeared into thin air as soon as they left this place? What if they decided that the money wasn't worth the risk, went into hiding and let Mia die, locked away in some kind of old cellar, all alone and scared?

It was either _'Run away and safe yourself'_ or _'Stay and risk getting killed'_.

The choice wasn't nearly as hard as it should have been.

Tony didn't hesitate as he climbed back into the car, closing the door behind him and sealing his fate. He didn't have any time to hide however, because only a second later 'Redhead' wrenched the driver's door open and practically threw himself into the car. The hairy man had reached the car as well and was about to open the passenger door when he spotted Tony on the back seat.

He narrowed his eyes into slits and hurried to open the door to Tony's right. He leaned down to stare at the boy and Tony was momentarily worried that the guy would recognize him. He didn't need to worry though. There was no sign of recognition in those hazel eyes, only impatience and urgency.

"Come on brat!" He gestured with his big, calloused hand for Tony to get out of the car. "Get out already!"

_This is your last chance, Anthony. Swing your cowardly ass out of that car and let your precious Agent Gibbs handle the rest._

The voice of his father that echoed through his head sounded disturbingly real and Tony even flinched a little bit when he heard it. But he'd made his choice and he wasn't going to back down.

He slid away from the open door as far as he could and tried his best to appear like he was scared shitless of the hairy man. Somehow he didn't think that _'Please sir, could you give me a ride to your hideout?'_ would have worked.

'Redhead' paid them no mind as he started the engine and actually hummed a melody that was vaguely familiar, although Tony couldn't for the life of him figure out where he had heard it before. The man trying to coax Tony out of the car, cursed under his breath and made a move to lean into the car and grab the boy, when a distant shout stopped him in his tracks.

Tony looked through the windshield and saw a man running towards them. He was still far away but the Italian thought that he looked a lot like Gibbs.

"Just leave him Jeff," 'Redhead' yelled. "We need to get out of here!"

The man, Jeff apparently, only hesitated for a second before he slammed Tony's door shut and jumped into the passenger seat. He hadn't even managed to closed his door before 'Redhead' had stepped on the gas and sped away from the approaching figure. Tony turned around to look out of the rear window and saw that the man was still running after the car, but he was rapidly falling back, to the point where the boy could barely see him.

The redhead sped on for the next five minutes, only taking side roads; though even Tony could see that no car had followed them.

"Shit Shit Shit!!!" 'Redhead' suddenly exploded, slapping his hands against the steering wheel as he did so.

"How did they know about the new location?" Jeff asked.

He seemed a lot calmer than his buddy, but Tony could see his tense shoulders and how he repeatedly tapped the dashboard with his index finger. Jeff wasn't calmer, Tony realized. He just controlled himself better than his partner.

"What do you think?" the driver snapped. The sound alone made Tony realize that he was the unpredictable, violent one of the duo. He would have to be careful around him. "That bitch called the cops! We should have sent her a piece of her daughter after all. I'm sure that would've shut her up!"

Tony paled and swallowed hard, but said nothing. He listened closely in case they let something slip.

"What should we do now Chuck?"

"We'll set a new appointment with Mommy." Chuck grinned evilly. "And this time we make sure that she doesn't get any ideas."

Jeff only nodded and both of them lapsed into silence. A few minutes passed, and Tony had begun to think that they had forgotten about him, when Jeff suddenly stared into the rearview mirror and fixed his cold eyes on him.

"What should we do with him?" He'd spoken to Chuck, but his eyes never left Tony and the boy began to fidget under the intense stare.

Chuck merely shrugged and sounded almost bored. "We'll just toss him out somewhere along the way. It's not like they don't already know who we are. The guy that followed us screamed your name, remember?"

"Guess you're right." Jeff mumbled and finally turned his eyes to the road in front of him.

Tony began to panic, but for all the wrong reasons.

They were going to toss him out and there was nothing he could do to stop them. When two grown men wanted a child to leave their car- well, then the child _would_ leave their car, whether it wanted to or not.

But he couldn't let that happen. As soon as they drove off without him, he would loose the only connection he had to Mia. They hadn't said anything about their hideout or whether Mia was even alive anymore. He couldn't let this opportunity slip away, he just couldn't.

When his mother was still alive she had managed to convince her son to join the drama group of his school. Tony had been skeptic at first but soon learned to truly enjoy the meetings and rehearsals. He'd never imagined that it would be so much fun to pretend to be someone else. To leave everything that was Anthony DiNozzo behind and become a completely different person with its own past, present, and future. His teacher had praised him a lot, had told him that he was a natural and that she wanted him for the leading part of their next play.

He had never played that role, since his father had found out about his after-school activities soon after the teacher had offered Tony the leading part. He had made him quit, telling him that _'DiNozzo's don't act. DiNozzo's don't need to hide behind a role.' _Sometimes, Tony wondered if his weeks with the drama group had been for nothing and whether he would ever be on a stage and be able to give the performance of his life.

Well, it seemed like his big day had come and his stage was the back seat of a rusty Volvo.

He suddenly started to sob and managed to startle the two men in front of him with his sudden wailing. "P-Please don't hu-hurt m-me!"

Jeff turned around to face him and looked mildly annoyed. "Cut it out, will ya? We're not going to kill ya!"

Tony pretended that he hadn't heard him and 'cried' even harder.

"Please! I-I don't wanna die! Pl-Please call my Da-Daddy! He'll _*hiccup*_ He'll give you everything you w-want!"

Jeff didn't seem to be overly impressed, but Chuck perked up at the word _'everything'_, just like Tony knew he would. He looked into the rearview mirror to get his first good look at the kid. "Say," he drawled, "who is your Daddy exactly?"

Tony sniffed and stared 'fearfully' into the green eyes. "My Daddy is A-Anthony DiNozzo, s-sir."

"DiNozzo?" Jeff gasped, "_The _Anthony DiNozzo, from the Long Island DiNozzo's? The _multimillionaire _DiNozzo?"

Tony nodded meekly but the kidnappers weren't even looking at him anymore.

Chuck was grinning from ear to ear. "Dude!" he said, "Do you know what that means? We have the son of a multimillionaire back there. We just hit the Jackpot! I can't believe how lucky we are!"

"Hell yeah man!" Jeff cheered back. "Maybe that DiNozzo guy will pay for Mia as well, you know, to get good publicity and all that."

"Maybe." Chuck nodded and turned around to face Tony when they had to stop at a red light, a little insincere smile on his lips. "Sorry kid, change of plans. You're not going home after all. You're going to come with us for a little while."

Tony buried his head in his hands and pretended to cry but in reality, tried to hide the smug smile that began to tug at his lips.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tony had long since lost his bearings.

At first he had been able to recognize a few of the streets but now, twenty minutes later, he had no idea where they currently were. Their surroundings had become more and more deserted with each passing minute until it seemed like they were in another country altogether. They occasionally passed a rundown warehouse or a fenced, rubbish-strewn piece of ground, but there was no life whatsoever and it had been at least ten minutes since Tony had seen another car.

Tony had grown up in New York but he'd never seen anything like this. He noticed that they had driven through a big hole in a fence, just a few minutes ago, and suspected that this area probably wasn't meant to be open to the public.

_'Probably an abandoned industrial park._' Tony mused.

An old sign grabbed his attention. It was dirty and in shreds, but he could still read the letters "...closed 1957". He revised his opinion.

_'Probably an_ old_ abandoned industrial park...'_

The car came to a sudden halt in front of a three-story warehouse and for the first time since Tony had _convinced _Jeff and Chuck to kidnap him, he felt something like anxiety.

The thing was huge! It was almost as big as a football field and the doors, or rather _gates_, were made of iron. Probably the same iron that the bars in front of the few windows were made of. It didn't really look like a warehouse. If Tony didn't know better he would say that it was a fortress, or maybe even a prison.

The door to his left was yanked open and a big hand took his arm in a vice-like grip that would have made his father proud. He tried to help when the hand began to pull him out of his seat but was too slow to do much of anything. He could barely keep himself from falling flat on his face when his foot got stuck somewhere and the hand just continued to drag him with it. Said hand belonged to Chuck, who was apparently much stronger than his slim body indicated, and Tony momentarily forgot that he was the scared little boy. He growled at the man in a way that would have made _Gibbs_ proud.

Chuck merely raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in Tony's behavior and didn't say anything. Instead he just told Jeff to hide the car and began to drag the kid towards the main entrance. Tony noticed that the door didn't seem to have a lock and his suspicions were confirmed when 'Redhead' merely pressed his shoulder against it to push it open.

Tony couldn't help but smile. No lock meant that he wouldn't have to struggle with a key in order to leave this place should he manage to grab Mia and make a run for it. The door opened with a loud screech and his smile dropped immediately.

Well it seemed like a _silent_ escape was out of the question...

Chuck began to move again and the boy tried to keep up with him as best as he could. He could already feel his arm going numb and his shoulder was screaming at him from the strain it sustained.

They entered the warehouse/fortress/prison and Tony's step faltered when he was met with a pungent smell. It seemed familiar but he couldn't put his finger on it. He tried to block it out since it was so prominent that it made his eyes water, and instead tried to concentrate on his surroundings.

He was mildly surprised when he discovered that the first floor was completely empty except for two cots, a table with a little TV and some old pizza boxes on the floor. The objects sat in the middle of the room and looked a little bit lost when compared to the vastness of the hall.

Chuck dragged him to a staircase at the far end of the warehouse that went right through the ceiling and seemed to lead to the second floor. They began to climb the stairs and Tony had to suppress a grunt when his shoulder began to throb even more.

They reached the second floor and stepped into a corridor. The Italian's heart began to drop when he saw the many doors to his left and right. The second floor seemed to contain offices or storage rooms and there seemed to be a lot of them. Chances were pretty slim that they would put him in the same room where Mia was.

The kidnapper approached one of the doors to their right and pulled a little key from his pocket. He unlocked the door and opened it before he practically tossed his captive into the room.

This time however, Tony couldn't keep from falling. He tried to catch himself with his hands when the floor came rushing towards him and heard more than felt something snap. The pain didn't come immediately and for a moment Tony thought that he'd just imagined the sound but suddenly, there was something like fire flowing through his left arm. The pain was so intense that it took his breath away and he almost didn't hear Chuck's last words before the unaware man closed the door.

"I'll come back soon and if you're a good little boy and tell us your Daddy's phone number you'll get some pizza."

The kidnapper closed the door behind him and dutifully locked it again, but the only word that Tony had really registered from his little speech had been 'pizza'.

"Well," Tony whispered weakly. "pizza would be nice right now, thank you..."

He hadn't noticed that Chuck wasn't even there anymore. The pain was making his thoughts fuzzy and he rested his head against the cold concrete to clear his mind. He took a few deep breaths and tried to breath trough the pain, which wasn't exactly fire anymore, but was still enough to make him wish that he had some strong painkillers with him.

Tony kept his eyes closed since he didn't need to see it to realize that the pain was coming from his wrist and that it was probably broken.

"Goddamnit!" he hissed through gritted teeth. His father didn't like it when he cursed but Tony couldn't care less right now.

A broken wrist wasn't the worst that could have happened. Tony didn't feel sorry for himself, how could he? He had, in some way, even expected to get hurt and it was not the first time that he had broken something. But he had hoped that he could stay out of trouble long enough to be some kind of help. A broken wrist would just slow him down and make things even more difficult than they already were. Tony sighed heavily. He should probably be thankful that it wasn't his right hand...

His wrist was only throbbing by now and Tony thought that he should try to get up. Slowly, oh so slowly, he began to sit up and tried to keep his left arm as still as possible. His eyes were still screwed shut but he could tell that the room wasn't entirely dark.

_'Maybe a table lamb or something. Wonder if Mia has some light as well...'_ He finally opened his eyes....

....and there she was.

Mia Kent was still wearing the same clothes as she had the day Tony had met her but they were dirty and rumpled by now. Only one of her many ribbons had survived the night in captivity and the sight made Tony physically ill. She had been so damn proud of those ribbons...

The girl was sitting against the wall and had her arms wrapped around her legs. Her head rested on her knees and she stared at him like he was a ghost. Tony couldn't blame her. He had also needed a few seconds to realize that he hadn't imagine her in the same room with him.

Tony pushed himself to his feet and cautiously approached the hunched over form. He didn't want to scare her, so he kept his face as friendly and reassuring as he could while he crouched down in front of her, cradling his injured arm against his chest.

"Hey Mia. Fancy meeting you here!"

"Tony?"

The boy winced when he heard how hoarse her voice was. She had probably screamed at the top of her voice for hours after she had been brought here. Tony felt the sudden urge to strangle someone.

"Yup, that's me!" he grinned from ear to ear but she didn't smile back. "You had us all quite worried, you know. Did they hurt you?" _'Please say no! Please say no!'_

She shook her head. "Uh-Uh, Uncle Jeff and the other scary man didn't hurt me."

Tony blinked a few times. _'Uncle Jeff?_'

"Well that's good."

After reassuring himself that she seemed to be okay Tony was finally able to tear his eyes off her face and survey the room. There wasn't much to see. An old desk and a few boxes in the corner. He also spotted a few empty plates which looked quite fresh and here and there the same pizza boxes he had seen on the first floor. Well, at least they weren't cruel enough to let a little girl starve. That was a relief.

"Why are you here?"

Tony didn't answer immediately. Why was he there? When he had convinced Chuck and Jeff to take him as well, he hadn't really thought about what he would do once they got there. He'd just wanted to see that Mia was okay and to protect her. But now he had a broken wrist and was locked in a tiny room that didn't even have a window.

When he looked back into Mia's eyes he saw nothing but trust, which was a little bit frightening, considering that she barely knew him. She looked just like those kids that always asked him to escort them home because they were afraid of the older kids. It suddenly hit Tony that they didn't just ask him because he was a pretty decent fighter, but because they really, truly trusted him with their safety.

Tony felt suddenly dizzy and scooted over to Mia's side so he could sit against the wall besides her.

_'They trust you Tony. They trust _you_, worthless, stupid, no-good bastard, with their safety.'_

The realization truly scared Tony but at the same time he felt all warm and fuzzy inside . The responsibility was heavy and frightening but also light and reassuring. The boy suddenly knew, without a doubt, that he never wanted to loose this trust, this heavy but reassuring weight on his chest. He knew that it could crush him if he wasn't careful but for now it only felt nice to be needed, to be appreciated, to be worth the trouble.

Mia was watching him intently and Tony squeezed her knee with his uninjured hand and smiled softly at her.

"I'm here to help."

And although he felt worse for wear and probably even looked like it, his words were the plain truth and Mia seemed to sense it as well because she finally smiled back at him and burrowed against his side.

They were silent for a few minutes, and Tony thought that Mia had fallen asleep, when she suddenly began to shiver ever so slightly. Tony wrapped and arm around her but it took him a few seconds before he realized that she wasn't cold but was silently crying into his side.

Tony felt at a loss. He knew that parents were supposed to tell bedtime stories when their children couldn't sleep after a nightmare (_and if this wasn't a nightmare then Tony didn't know what was_) but Tony had never been told any stories, neither from his mother or from his father. He felt vaguely ashamed that he didn't know a good story but he suddenly remembered last night.

_'Gosh, that was only a few hours ago? Feels a lot longer...'_

Tony smiled and decided to give it a try. It wasn't exactly a bedtime story but it would take her minds off things and maybe he could even add a few things of his own to make it more... _suitable_ for children her age.

"You know," he drawled and tried to sound as upbeat as possible. "This reminds me of a movie..."

TBC

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_A/N: I know what you're all thinking: "But Tony, did you forget about the ******????" and I can just say: "Wait and trust me my fellow Tony lovers! Wait and trust me..."_

_Well, what do you think? Did I deliver the good or are you disappointed with me??? For all those that are mourning the lack of Gibbs in this chapter: Don't worry! You'll meet him and the others again in the next chapter...and for a certain Agent it's not gonna be a nice reunion...*muahahahaha*_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Disclaimer: **Not mine, never will!_

_**A/N:** Not much to say about this one, just that it's a lot shorter than the others but that I hope that angry/Gibbs will make up for that! :) And thank you so much for your reviews! I'm glad you liked the combination!^^_

_This chapter was betaed by the wonderful Keahi Spitfire (aka: Ktwesterna), whose suggestions made this so much better! All remaining mistakes are my own._

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**The Day Before The Day**

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Chapter 11

Gibbs was angry. No, scratch that. He wasn't angry, he was down right pissed off, with a capital P. There was just no other way to describe what he was feeling right now.

The kidnappers had gotten away and although that had been a possibility from the very beginning, especially since they had changed the location of the delivery, Gibbs couldn't help but think that things would have run a lot smoother if not for Nickols' unexpected appearance.

As soon as he and Ducky had left the motel, Gibbs had sped through the city at a pace that was nothing short of suicidal. Even Ducky's face had turned slightly green and the doctor had always been the only one who had been able to cope with Gibbs extraordinary driving.

But time had been of the essence and Gibbs hadn't allowed himself to slow down. There had been a few 'almost collisions', but nothing major, and if some patrol cars decided to chase them - well all the better. They certainly could use the backup.

Gibbs was disgruntled, but not really surprised when he realized that they were the only ones who had reached Chelsea Piers in time for the delivery.

Traffic could be hell at this time of the day and the reinforcements would probably need another ten minutes to arrive. But Gibbs had known that they couldn't wait that long, so he had told Ducky to wait in the car and took off. He had searched the entire area, since he didn't know exactly where the delivery would take place, and Chelsea Piers was a rather large area to cover. The search took far to long, and seemed to be going no where when he'd passed Pier 62 _(1)_ and finally spotted what he'd been searching for.

Everything after that had happened to fast.

Godin looked exactly like Tony had described him- big and hairy. Him and another man- slim and neat- had been standing a few feet away from an obviously frightened Mrs. Kent, who'd held a large bag in her shaking hands. 'Slim' had said something that Gibbs couldn't quite make out over the distance and after a few seconds hestitation, Mrs. Kent had nodded and placed the bag on the floor, right in front of her feet.

Unfortunately, Gibbs hadn't been the only one who had kept an eye on his surroundings. Godin had started to walk towards Mrs. Kent and the bag, when his partner had discovered the Agent before he could take cover.

They'd instantly bolted at a breakneck pace, leaving the bag with the money behind. They had been a few feet away when the Agent had first spotted them, and the distance grew with each step they took. The few passers-by that were strolling on the Piers prevented him from getting a good shot so Gibbs hastily holstered his gun and gave chase. He'd lost them for a a couple of blocks, before finding them again a few streets away from the Piers. The nameless kidnapper was already starting a red Volvo while Godin was standing in the open passenger door. It seemed like he was talking to somebody on the back seat. Maybe a third kidnapper?

A man was lying on the sidewalk, not far away from the car. Gibbs couldn't see his face, but the car seemed oddly familiar...

The Agent drew his gun and quickened his steps when he saw Godin's partner stare at him through the windshield. "NCIS. GET OUT OF THAT CAR!"

Godin was obviously startled but didn't waste any more time and finally jumped into the passenger seat. The car made a sudden U-turn and began to drive away. Gibbs didn't stop running, although he knew that he could never outrun a car, and raised his gun. He was about to shoot when he noticed another figure in the car. Whoever it was seemed to sit on the back seat and stared right back at him. The car was too far away now, so he couldn't see this persons face, just shadows and a silhouette.

Gibbs immediately lowered his gun.

Call it instinct, but something about that silhouette had seemed familiar. Something that hadn't let him pull the trigger.

He'd chased the car until it disappeared around a corner. Only then did he stop, finally acknowledging that he wasn't going to be able to get them. The sudden urge to crush something was overwhelming, but Gibbs decided that that would have to wait when he remembered the injured man on the sidewalk. It didn't take him long to reach the prone figure, though it took him a bit to realize that he knew the man.

He should have been worried when Nickols just wouldn'twake up, and he should have been worried about that nasty gash on the back of his head, but the only thing he felt while he called for an ambulance was anger. Anger and an odd feeling of trepidation in his gut that he couldn't quite explain.

And he still felt it now, almost thirty minutes later.

In the meantime, the crime scene had been secured, and countless policemen searched for evidence and questioned the few civilians that had been present during the delivery and the following pursuit. The ambulance had arrived shortly after, and the two paramedics were currently checking over Nickols, who was still unconscious.

Gibbs noticed that Ducky didn't even try to help them, a sure sign that he was just as mad at the young Agent as Gibbs was. He still couldn't believe that Nickols had left Tony at the motel to come here and play the hero. The fact that it had been _his_ car that the kidnappers had used in order to escape was almost funny.

Except that it really wasn't.

When Ducky had been told that Nickols was here he had offered Gibbs to call his cell, since he had left that with Tony, and ask the kid if he was okay. Gibbs had considered it for a few minutes before he'd decided against it.

Tony was a smart kid, he could take care of himself for a while. If Gibbs was really honest with himself, he had to admit that he hadn't left Nockols with Tony because he thought the kid needed the surveillance. He did it because it had given him the perfect opportunity to keep the young Agent at bay and out of the investigation.

He would call Tony later. The Agent couldn't quite help the smirk when he imagined that Tony might have already called the pizza delivery and was currently sitting on the bed, watching some kind of spy thriller. Maybe the kid would be more happy if he wasn't disturbed right now.

Besides, he had more important things to take care of right now. For example a very distraught mother who was currently speaking to one of the officers. The tears and hysterical screams had stopped a few minutes ago. Now she only looked drained and defeated.

She didn't blame Gibbs for the blown delivery, although the Agent thought that she had every right to. He would have felt better if she had screamed at him and not only into her hands, in a vain attempt to muffle her sorrow. Then he could blame himself and try to deal with the hollow feeling of failure in his gut.

The officer that was currently talking to Mrs. Kent perked up at something the woman said to him and motioned her to wait. He seemed to search for something before his eyes landed on Gibbs who was watching them from a few feet away.

"Agent Gibbs!" he called and waved at him. "I think you should hear this."

"What is it?" Gibbs asked while he approached them, hoping that it was something that would help them find Mia.

It wasn't the officer that answered, but Mrs. Kent. "The man, the man that was with Jeffrey, I-I know him. I wasn't sure at first, but I thought about it and I'm positive that it's him..."

"Who is it?"

"He's Jeffreys cousin, a very distant cousin. I've only seen him once at Jeff's birthday and that was a few years ago, but I'm pretty sure that it was him. His name is..." She bit her lip and thought for a few seconds before she snapped with her fingers, the ghost of a smile on her lips. "His name's Charles. Charles Bennet."

Gibbs turned to the policeman and gave him instructions to get him information about this Bennet, ASAP. Since he was a one man team for now, he had to depend on the local officers. But he would rather eat his own gun before he gave Nickols another important task.

The officer gave a sharp nod before he hurried away and left Gibbs and Mrs. Kent behind. The Agent felt uncomfortable in her presence but he didn't want to leave her alone either.

"You will find her."

She locked eyes with him and although it hadn't been a question, he felt himself nod and heard himself say, "We will."

She stared at him a little bit longer before she sharply turned away, probably to hide the new tears that had gathered behind her eyes. "Good." And with that she was gone and Gibbs could do nothing more than stare after her retreating back, hoping that he hadn't lied to her.

A tap on his shoulder pulled him out of his dark thoughts and he turned around to come face to face with one of the paramedics. The young man looked a bit miffed, but also wary of the older Agent. "He's awake now."

Gibbs just nodded and followed him to the ambulance. He had practically threatened the paramedics with bodily harm if they didn't fetch him as soon as Nickols was awake.

The young man babbled something about a 'head injury' and 'going easy' on the patient but, it went mostly unheard. Gibbs couldn't care less whether Nickols was on the brink of death or not. He wanted answers, and when Gibbs wanted something, he normally got it.

Nickols looked like he'd been run over by a truck. The gash had needed stitches and his face was as pale as a ghost. When he saw Gibbs he ducked his head and tried to make himself as small as possible.

The sight made Gibbs smile, though it was far from reassuring. It was a smile that promised pain rather than forgiveness. Lots and lots of pain.

When Nickols saw it he cowered even more. "B-Boss, listen, I'm so-"

_"Not. A. Word_." Gibbs cut him off. "I didn't think that it was possible to top what you did with the evidence the other day, but you always manage to surprise me, don't you?! Not only did you disrespect me and my orders, you let the very kidnappers, that we have been searching for for the last 24 hours, hijack **YOUR** car and escape! That is unacceptable! As soon as we're back to HQ, I'm gonna make sure that you have to answer to IA for your mistakes, are we clear?!"

His voice had risen with each word until Gibbs had practically screamed right into Nickols face. The kid couldn't do more than nod, terrified and shaken, but Gibbs wasn't done yet. Not by a long shot.

"Even the poorest excuse of an Agent would have been able to manage the simple task of watching a KID! How the hell did you think that leaving a twelve-year-old alone at the motel would be-"

He broke off when he saw the change in Nickols posture and the look on his face. The young Agent's face had become, if possible, even more pale and his shoulders had gone stiff at the mention of Tony and the motel.

That wave of trepidation was back with a vengeance and Gibbs almost didn't ask, dreading the answer he would get.

"What is it?"

Nickols eyes started to dart back and forth as if he was searching for something. Or someone. "I w-wanted to go a-alone...but he...and I thought...because he...so I thought I had to and..." his stutter broke of just as Gibbs was about to slap some sense into him. His breathing quickened, but his eyes didn't dart anymore. They were fixed on the floor. "He isn't here?"

It took all of three seconds for his words to finally sink in, but when they did, it was as if someone had punched Gibbs in the gut. Hard.

He should have known that Tony wouldn't stay back, that he wouldn't wait at the motel like a good little boy. He should have known, but he had been too preoccupied, too guilty and too angry with himself and Nickols to think rationally.

But now he was and he realized that it had been stupid to assume that Tony was still at the motel, safe and sound. He'd neglected rule #3; _Never believe what you're told, always double check._

And suddenly it was as if he was replaying the scene in front of his inner eye, over and over again. Godin, leaning into the car as if speaking to someone on the back seat. The silhouette that had seemed so familiar. And suddenly he felt the cold steel of the gun in his hand and how his finger had curled around the trigger, ready to shoot, before he'd stopped himself.

He had almost shot at Tony. Not Tony per se, but he had almost shot at the car and he could have seriously injured the boy in the process. The thought was accompanied by bile rising in his throat, and he had a hard time keeping himself from spitting it out.

Although he certainly knew who he could spit on.

Gibbs seized Nickols by his collar and practically lifted the smaller man off the ground. The paramedics made a move to stop him, but one look into Gibbs face and they retreated, probably thinking that they were too young to die a horrible death.

"You brought him here?" Gibbs hissed, shaking the man. "You moron! You actually brought him here?"

"He threatened me!" Nickols wailed, struggling in his grip. Gibbs wanted to strangle him for being a coward, for letting a twelve-year-old boy threaten him into doing something that he shouldn't have done. "He said he would call you if I didn't take him with me. But I never...I mean...Where is he? Why isn't he here?"

Nickols was desperate by now but Gibbs could tell that he wasn't scared for Tony's safety, only his own.

"Jethro!" Ducky took a hold of his friends arm and tried to pull him off of Nickols. The MD had come over as soon as he'd heard Gibbs angry voice and had listened to the last part of the conversation with growing worry. "Jethro, my cell phone! I gave the boy my cell phone, remember?"

Gibbs finally dropped his former Agent. The man swayed dangerously on his feet until the paramedics took pity on him and lead him away from his murderous boss.

_'Good call._' Gibbs thought fleetingly while he searched his pockets for his own cell phone. Calling Tony while he was in the presence of the kidnappers could be dangerous, but he had to know whether Tony was really in any trouble or whether he'd just run away when they had attacked Nickols.

_'Don't be stupid!'_ a voice in his head mocked, _'The boy would rather die than run away.'_

The knot in his gut tightened considerably and he cursed himself for his dark, but nonetheless true, assumptions. His fingers finally found his phone and he almost sighed in relief when he pulled it out of his pocket. Ducky was hovering nearby, clearly as anxious as his young friend, and Gibbs was about to dial when his phone beat him to it and began to ring. He didn't waste time and picked up without even looking at the caller ID. He just hoped that it would be either a very quick call or a very important one along the lines of, _'We found them.'_

"Gibbs."

_"Hey Agent Gibbs. Miss me?"_

TBC

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_(1) Wikipedia told me that the road leading to Pier 62 was renamed "Law & Order Way" in 2004. I thought it was funny! :) *is easily amused*_

_A/N: Chapter 12 should be coming soon, maybe even this weekend, but I promise nothing!^^_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Disclaimer:** Notihing mine, just playing with it_

_**A/N:** Nothing much to say, just that I advise you to read the A/N at the end of the chapter!_

_This chapter was once again betaed by the wonderful Keahi Spitfire, who didn't just fix my mistakes but saw to it that Gibbs sounded more 'Gibbish'! :)_

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'Tony's thoughts'

_'Gibbs talking over the phone'_

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**The Day Before The Day**

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Chaper 12

_"Where the hell are you?"_

Tony held the phone a few inches away from his ear, actually afraid for his hearing but also oddly reassured by the whole thing. He never thought that he'd be that glad to hear from someone who was angry and screamed at him.

The boy was embarrassed at how long it had taken him to remember the phone in his pocket. He'd been midway through the (slightly altered) retelling of Mr. Bond's adventures, when he'd shifted to find a more comfortable position and felt something press into his hip.

Tony had to twist his whole body in order to reach that something, since he couldn't use his injured hand, but when he'd finally managed to pull it out he'd just stared at it with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

It was quite a surprise that the kidnappers hadn't checked him for something like that but, then again, not many twelve-year-olds had their own cell phone.(1)

Mia had been the one to break the stunned silence. "My Daddy has one of those but his is a lot smaller."

She had stared at Tony with wonder and adoration in her eyes, but the Italian hadn't seen any of that due to the dim light in the room. And maybe it was agood thing that he hadn't. He wouldn't have been able to handle that look right now, not when he was so incredibly disappointed with himself.

How could he have forgotten about this? If he had thought about the cell phone sooner, maybe Mia would be already home, hugging her Mom and feeling safe again. Tony couldn't help the self contempt that took hold of him and seemed to weigh down on him.

He had screwed up.

It didn't matter that he was, after all, just a little boy, no matter how much his father expected him to act like an adult. It didn't matter that, under all that bravado he displayed, he was still scared out of his mind that Gibbs wouldn't find them in time and that everything he'd done would've been for nothing. Tony didn't even stop to consider that, maybe, his wrist was affecting him more than he'd thought. That the constant throbbing, and the recently set in itching, was driving him nuts and made it difficult to think straight.

The boy didn't see all that. All he saw was his own failure, and all he felt was the pang of insecurity that he always felt when his father told him that he was good for nothing. That he would end up in the gutters if not for his 'devoted father'.

He hated feeling like this, so he'd tried to cover it with a smug drawl when Gibbs had finally picked up and barked into his phone. The boy had briefly considered calling 911 instead of Gibbs, but he'd had this strange desire to hear the man's voice, so he had scanned the contacts in Ducky's cell and grinned with relief when he found 'L. J. Gibbs'.

He wasn't that relieved anymore. Gibbs sounded pretty annoyed even though Tony thought he could detect a hint of concern.

"Well, you see Gibbs, I don't really know..."

Gibbs grunted and Tony was amazed how clear he could hear even the tiniest noises from the other side of the line.

_"You don't know? And how could you have been so reckless. Do you know how stupid that was?"_

Tony began to sweat. How the hell did Gibbs know about his little stunt? Was the man psychic or something? "Listen, maybe it was stupid but it was the best chance we had! I had to talk them into taking me with them. I knew what I was doing Gibbs!" Okay, so maybe he hadn't really thought about all the consequences at the time, but Gibbs didn't need to know that.

Complete silence followed his exclamation and Tony was worried that he had somehow lost Gibbs. He looked at the display and saw that they were still connected.

"Gibbs? Are you still..."

_"I was talking about 'convincing' Nickols to take you with him."_ Tony gulped. Oh man... _"But.."_ an intake of breath, _"you did __**WHAT**__???"_

Mia flinched besides him and stared at Tony with a fearful expression on her dirty face. The boy couldn't blame her. Gosh, the people in Ohio had probably heard the man. Tony wouldn't be surprised if Chuck and Jeff burst into the room, demanding to know who had screamed.

Speaking of Chuck and Jeff...

"Yeah… umm could we save this for later? We are kinda in a tight spot here..."

Tony could almost hear Gibbs bite his tongue. _"Okay but you're not getting away with this, kiddo. We __**will**__ have that talk!"_

"Figures..."

_"You said 'we'."_ Gibbs continued, ignoring Tony's sullen muttering. _"Is Mia with you?"_

Tony's mood brightened, glad that he finally had something positive to tell the older man. "Yeah, she's here with me ."

_"She __hurt?" _

Tony looked the little girl up and down, as if he hadn't already done that at least a dozen times since he got there. "No, I don't think so. She said that they didn't hurt her, and she looks fine to me. Tired and scared, but fine."

Mia nodded vigorously, as if trying to convince the man on the phone that Tony was telling the truth, even though Gibbs couldn't see her. A smile tugged at Tony's lips and he almost missed Gibbs next question.

_"What about you? You hurt?" _

The broken wrist seemed to throb a little bit more at that moment but Tony ignored it. "No sir."

He always added 'Sir' when he lied, it was an old habit that he just couldn't seem to get rid of. But Gibbs didn't know that, right?! Tony didn't want to tell the Agent about his injury. He didn't want Gibbs to think that he couldn't handle this, that he was too weak to protect Mia.

The lie had come easily and without hesitation. Gibbs had no reason to not believe him.

_"Give me to Mia for a second."_

Tony was already thrusting the phone into Mia's little hands. Of course Gibbs wanted to speak to the little girl and see that she was okay. Tony chided himself, he should have passed it along a lot sooner.

Mia took the phone, but only held it to her ear after Tony had given her an encouraging nod.

"Y-Yes?"

She listened intently and whatever she heard seemed to calm her down. Her posture became more relaxed and some of the fear seemed to leave her eyes. She even giggled softly at one point.

"Yes si- ah, I mean Gibbs. Thank you."

Gibbs seemed to say something else and her eyes darted to Tony while she listened, before she quickly averted them. Her voice was tiny and resigned when she answered. "I think he hurt his wrist. It's all black and blue..."

Tony wanted to mouth something like 'Traitor' or jump up and pace the room, but he controlled himself and made sure that none of his agitation showed on his face when Mia turned towards him. He wouldn't take his anger out on a little girl. Gibbs was the one who hadn't believed him and, although his doubts had been justified, Tony couldn't help but feel a little bit betrayed.

"Okay." Mia said and handed the phone back to Tony, who forced himself to smile at her. It must have looked pretty convincing because Mia beamed when she saw it, happy that he wasn't mad at her.

Tony held the phone to his ear and tried to prepare himself for an old fashioned dressing-down, Gibbs-style. But he was in for a surprise...

_"Don't ever lie to me about something as important as your health Anthony."_ Tony was taken aback by the use of his full name and the tone Gibbs used. His voice was unyielding but also strangely soft and full of... concern? Had Gibbs asked Mia about his condition because he was worried about him? _"I need to know if you are injured. So tell me, what's with your wrist?"_

"I think it's broken." Tony blurted, not sure why he didn't just downplay the whole thing like he always did when someone asked him about his injuries.

_**'Maybe because Gibbs doesn't just ask because it's rude not to. He really wants to know.' **_

But Tony had never been one to pity himself and whine about his injuries and, despite Gibbs' obvious concern, he wouldn't start now. "But it's not too bad, if I don't move it. As long as I keep it still it's bearable."

_"Well then don't move it."_ Gibbs deadpanned and Tony was glad that the Agent couldn't see him because he just _had_ to roll his eyes at that. _"Now tell me what you know. Anything that can help us find you." _

"Well, there's not much." Tony said while his eyes darted towards the door. He was getting a little bit anxious. They had talked for too long already, and if Chuck or Jeff caught him with the phone...well he'd rather not think about that.

_"Just tell me what you can. How long did it take you to reach the hideout."_

"No longer than twenty minutes. We're in a warehouse in an abandoned industrial park. It looks pretty old, has to have been closed for a couple of years now. Oh, and we followed rails for most of the ride but they seemed to be abandoned as well..."

_"There are a lot of abandoned industrial parks in close vicinity to abandoned rails. Come on, there has to be something else." _

The words were harsh but Tony didn't take it personally. The Agent wasn't mad at the boy, at least not too much. He was mad at the situation and at his own helplessness. Tony knew that feeling all too well. The young DiNozzo took a deep breath and immediately regretted it when the stench almost made him gag.

"It stinks!" he exclaimed. "Terribly so. Something awful. The whole place smells like it and it seems familiar but I can't put my finger on it..."

"Burned rubber." Mia piped up. She had listened to Tony's side of the conversation with growing interest.

"Hold it Gibbs." Tony said and place a hand over the receiver. "Are you sure? Burned rubber?"

The little girl nodded. "Uh-huh! We were driving to my grandpa and grandma's and there was an accident and I asked Daddy what that bad smell was and he said that the tires must have caught fire and that the rubber was what smelt so bad. It was really really icky."

Tony nodded and turned back towards the phone. "Mia says that it smells like burned rubber."

He didn't know whether Gibbs had heard him or not because he seemed to be talking to another man. He hadn't bothered to cover his receiver and Tony was able to make out bits and pieces of the conversation.

_"What else.....-ind on....."_

_"Char- ...Bennet......booking record.....and.....-father... a....... -sed now.....else, sir."_

_"What did you say?"_

Tony needed a moment to realize that Gibbs was talking to him now. "Uh- I said, that Mia says, that it smells like burned rubber."

Tony could hear the sound of running feet and someone yelling orders. _"We know where you are. We'll be there in 30 minutes."_

"Wha-wha-what?" Tony stuttered. "How come? Just because of the rubber?" Gibbs couldn't be that good, could he? That would be...kinda creepy.

There was the sound of a slamming door before Gibbs answered. _"I just got some information about the second kidnapper Charles Bennet."_ Someone, probably Gibbs, started a motor. _"His grandfather owned an old factory. They produced caoutchouc until a fire destroyed the third floor. Bennet inherited the building three years ago."_

"Ahh." Because honestly, there wasn't much else to say. So Gibbs was on his way and would be here in about half an hour... Tony had to admit that it was all kind of unreal, almost too easy. He didn't ask for trouble, and he would love to just sit here and wait for the cavalry, but Tony knew, from experience, that it was never this easy.

As if on cue he could hear footsteps on the other side of the door and the rustling of keys.

_**'Speak of the devil and the devil shall come, huh? But this is ridiculous!'**_Tony thought, suppressing the sudden urge to laugh hysterically at his rotten luck.

"Hurry!" he whispered and disconnected the call before Gibbs could answer. There was no time to put it back into his pocket however (it had already taken him long enough to take it out) so he just stumbled to his feet and hid the cell phone behind his back. The door opened not a second later to reveal Chuck, and Tony immediately lapsed into his 'scared little boy' role.

_'The role of my life'_ he thought wryly while his face crumbled into a grimace of misery and fear. Mia didn't see the sudden change since her wide eyes were fixed on the man standing in the door. She was shivering in earnest and made a little sound of distress in the back of her throat. It bared a disturbing resemblance to the sounds a trapped animal would make. Chuck merely glanced at Tony before completely ignoring him, probably deciding that the little cowering boy was no threat to him.

Just like Tony had hoped he would.

It was rather ironic that this was a maneuver that he had learned by watching his father. The older DiNozzo would always appear harmless and inconspicuous during meetings, lulling his negotiation partner into a false sense of security before revealing his true self and intentions and ruthlessly absorbing the other company. But while his father destroyed lives, Tony tried to save them.

Ironic, indeed...

The kidnapper fully entered the room, leaving the door ajar, and stared at the little girl with a sick smile on his face. Tony was greatly disturbed by the way the guy seemed to enjoy her fear, seemed to enjoy seeing a little girl cower away from him. The boy knew someone else who did that, but he didn't want to think about that person right now. He wouldn't be able to stop if he started now, and he really needed a clear head right now. More than anything else.

Chuck's whole attention was on Mia, and Tony was able to take a few tiny steps and maneuver himself behind the man without being noticed. He had no intention to do something rash, especially not with Gibbs on his way, but something about Chuck's demeanor worried him greatly. Something that told him to stay alert and ready to intervene.

"Well little lady," Charles Bennet said and presented a smile that never reached his eyes. "Your Mom wasn't very cooperative so I guess we'll have to show her that we're serious, hmm?!" He squatted down in front of her and chuckled when she shied away from him. "What should it be? A finger? An ear? Or maybe we'll just have a little bit fun with you and send your mother a video of it..."

Mia perked up at that and there was something like hope in her eyes. She obviously didn't know that Chuck didn't mean the kind of fun that she thought about.

But Tony knew and his heart grew cold at the words. Although he was only twelve-years old he had a pretty good idea what kind of fun the man was talking about and it sickened and frightened him. Gibbs wouldn't be here for at least another twenty minutes.

A lot could happen in twenty minutes.

Tony's breath quickened and his hands grew sweaty. What should he do? He couldn't let this guy, this obviously sick and manic guy, have his way with the girl that he had sworn to protect. He needed to stop this. He needed to buy them time, to give Gibbs the chance to get here before something irreversible happened.

The cell phone in his hand suddenly seemed a lot heavier than before and he tightened his hold on it, clutching it so hard that he was afraid it would crack under the pressure.

He'd always been a pretty good pitcher. Sports in general were some of the few things his father hadn't been able to forbid him over the years. And although he enjoyed football and basketball the most, he would, from time to time, join the baseball club when one of their pitchers was sick or didn't turn up. He apparently had a pretty good arm, at least according to the trainer.

Chuck made a move to grab the girl, and Tony had never hoped like he did at that moment that a teacher was right, when he tucked his right leg, pulled his uninjured arm back and threw the phone with all his might.

The sound when it connected with the back of Chucks head was surprisingly loud. Something cracked and, for a second there, Tony wasn't sure whether it was the phone or Chucks skull. The man groaned and toppled to the side. While the boy watched him fall, he experienced a brief moment of hysteria where all he could think was, _'I hope Ducky won't be mad at me for that. Maybe he'll forgive me if I buy him a new one. One of those new, modern prototypes. I'm sure father could get him one of those...'_

The sound of Chuck's body hitting the ground and Mia's chocked scream brought him back to earth and once again, like the first time he'd met Mia, his legs moved on their own, rushing to the still sitting girl and hauling her to her feet.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Chuck wasn't unconscious, just dazed and disorientated. There were a few vain attempts to get back to his feet but his body didn't seem to do what he wanted. He mumbled incoherently, but Tony didn't wait long enough to hear him out. The brief glance he had shot the kidnapper had revealed enough to know that he would be in a world of pain if he was still here when the man got his bearings back.

He dragged Mia, who was pleasantly unresisting, out of the room and turned left before he stopped cold. The girl bumped into his back and the motion jarred his wrist but he tried his best to ignore the blinding pain.

His original plan (if there ever was one) had been to leave the warehouse through the unlocked door and hide somewhere until Gibbs arrived. But in order to leave this hellhole they would have to traverse the first floor and they still didn't know where Jeff was. What if the man was downstairs, waiting for his friend, munching on a cold pizza? They would never be able to get past him without being noticed, and Tony wouldn't be able to pull another of his little stunts. It was a damn miracle that the one with the flying cell phone had worked, and Tony had the queasy feeling that his stock of miracles was depleted by now.

No, they couldn't risk running into Jeff. Not if they wanted to survive the next thirty minutes. Tony made a complete turn-around and took off into the other direction, Mia's hand securely held in his.

The many offices and storage rooms would have to do right now. Hopefully they could elude the two men until Gibbs turned up.

"What... are we... gonna do now... Tony?"

Mia sounded more exited than afraid and Tony had to admit that she probably had a lot more nerve than he'd given her credit for. Just as they turned a corner, they heard a guttural scream from where they had come and Tony's grin, that had been plastered on his face since their escape, grew painful.

"We're gonna...play a little bit of...hide and seek until Gibbs...gets here!"

Tony didn't know why but he suddenly wanted to laugh and cry at the same time when the little girl cheered and exclaimed that she absolutely loved hide and seek.

TBC

* * *

Yeah, lame ending, I know...

**(1)** This story plays, obviously, in the early nineties and not even every adult had a cell phone in the early nineties, let alone children. And I don't think that they could trace phone calls in the early nineties...If I'm wrong I'm truly sorry!

**A/N:** What? You don't think that a cell phone could knock someone down for a few seconds? Well, my aunt didn't think so too until she had to call the ambulance after she'd thrown her cell phone at her husband and hit his temple. That happened in the early nineties and the phone (which she still has as some kind of souvenir) served as a model for Ducky's phone.

My aunt and my uncle are long since divorced, by the way. Figures, huh?! :)


	13. Chapter 13

_**Disclaimer:** Not mine, never will_

_**A/N:** Sorry for the long delay but hey, you get a pretty long chapter, kay?! :)_

_This chapter was beta'd once again by Keahi Spitfire whose little side comments always make me laugh. Thanks for your great suggestions. All remaining mistakes are my own._

* * *

**The Day Before The Day**

* * *

Chapter 13

"Get out of my way already!" Gibbs cursed, as he passed yet another car moving at an agonizingly slow pace. Or what some might consider, another victim that had been unlucky enough to cross his path. He could faintly hear the sirens of the patrol cars a few blocks behind him and wondered briefly, if it would have been better to stay behind them and let them clear the way instead of rushing ahead at breakneck speed and risking a serious accident. But they had been so goddamn _slow_.

Well, slow by Gibbs' standards**, **that is.

The Agent ignored another red light and Ducky sucked in a deep breath as he clung to the dashboard. "Jethro please!" he yelled over the noises of honking cars and screeching tires. "I know you are concerned for their safety, and I know that you want to get to them as soon as possible, but you can't help them if you kill yourself in the process."

Gibbs could hear the genuine concern in Ducky's voice, but he didn't slow down. "I am not concerned Ducky." he growled. "The boy will be lucky if I don't shoot him as soon as we find them."

The ME just stared at him with that patient look of his. Gibbs knew that face. It was his_ 'I'm going to wait until you tell me what's really eating at you'_ face. But he wouldn't fall for it. Nope, not a chance. Ducky could stare at him as long as he wanted, the lead Agent wouldn't crack....

'......'

"How could he be so reckless?" Gibbs exploded, ignoring the brief flash of a smug smile on Ducky's face. _'Damn him.'_

"I mean," he continued. "being brave and trying to help is one thing, but this...this behaviour borders on suicidal, Ducky! Does the kid have no sense of self-preservation? It's a miracle he's still alive. You would almost think that he..." He trailed off, unsure how to express his concern. But trust Dr. Mallard to find the right words when you couldn't.

"That the boy has no regard towards his own safety?

"Yeah..."

His friend nodded and concentrated on the road in front of him. "It certainly is an alarming behaviour, but it's possible that this is just how he is, Jethro. There's nothing you can do about that."

Gibbs sighed. "I know." _'And that's the problem.'_

He had already gotten way too attached to the boy. Maybe he was just developing paternal instincts because he was soon going to be a father himself , but he honestly liked the boy... Whatever the reason, it would be hard to leave the kid behind and return to DC when the case was over. Especially now that he knew about Tony's tendency to get into trouble.

Ducky suddenly chuckled from besides him. "As I seem to recall, there was another young man who had the same characteristics when he started working for NCIS. Do you happen to know to whom I am referring to?"

That smug smile was back, but Gibbs feigned ignorance. "Not a clue."

Ducky looked like he wanted to tease his friend a little bit more before a thoughtful expression crossed his face. "Jethro, did you remember to call young Anthony's father?"

Gibbs had the urge to slap himself, but thought that it would be better if he left both hands on the steering wheel. He had totally forgotten about the elder DiNozzo. The man had no idea that his son had been kidnapped, and Gibbs felt instantly bad for forgetting about him. No matter how unsympathetic the man had been during their first encounter, Tony was still his son, and every father had the right to know whether their child was in any danger or not. Hell, any father _would_ want to know, and DiNozzo Sr. was certainly no exception, right?

But they couldn't call him now. They didn't know where the man was, and Gibbs would have to call Mr. Prize to get his personal phone number. They just didn't have the time to do that right now. He would call him as soon as Jeffrey Godin and Charles Bennet were in custody, and Mia and Tony out of harms way.

"Not yet." he grumbled while he took a sharp left turn. "I'll call him as soon as we get Tony and Mia."

Gibbs could tell that Ducky didn't approve of his decision, but decided to say nothing for the moment. They would need at least ten minutes until they reached the warehouse and they still hadn't heard anything else from Tony after his whispered 'Hurry'.

The two men didn't dare call back in case the kidnappers would hear it, but they were beginning to get anxious. Why wasn't Tony calling back? Had the kidnappers discovered the phone? Had they taken it away or was there another reason why Tony couldn't call back?

Gibbs shook his head. He couldn't think like that. Tony was definitely okay and he was definitely still alive.

He had to be, or Gibbs would give him a piece of his mind.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tony liked sports. A lot actually. It was something that he was good at, something that he enjoyed doing. And running was a type of sport, wasn't it? Tony would have thought that running for your life wasn't that much different than running a few laps on the field. After all, running was running: placing one foot in front of the other.

Right?

"Wrong!" Tony panted. "Wrong, wrong, wrong!"

Mia shot him an incredulous look from where she was running besides him, but Tony acted like he hadn't seen it. The boy couldn't tell how much time had passed since their unpleasant encounter with Chucky, but he could tell that he was way more exhausted than he should have been.

His shirt was soaked with his own sweat, and he had to constantly wipe his brow and face with the back of his hand. Each harsh breath felt like he was breathing razor blades. And maybe he really was, because his throat felt torn and raw and it hurt to swallow.

But he could live with the drenched shirt and the burning throat. Those were mere inconveniences compared to the pain in his wrist. Every single step seemed to jar his broken wrist a little bit more than the previous and it took Tony every last bit of self-control he had left to keep going.

It was like the pain was a whole new part of him. Like an extra arm. It swallowed everything else, replaced every thought Tony might have had until he could only think about the pain, pure and agonizing pain.

But no matter how much he wanted to stop and lie down and never stand up again, his body wouldn't let him, because it didn't seem to listen to him anymore. His legs took one step after another and his hand held Mia's in a vice-like, possessive grip, urging her forward through a maze of empty rooms and seemingly endless corridors.

Mia hadn't complained once since this had started. She managed to keep up just fine and Tony couldn't help but notice that she wasn't nearly as breathless as he was.

There was a brief moment when he resented her for that, but the emotion passed as quickly as it had come and he barely registered it. And why should he resent the fact that she was able to keep up with him, anyway? He should be happy that she wasn't whining and holding him up.

They had to stay in motion until Gibbs arrived.

At the beginning of their escape Tony had contemplated hiding in one of the many empty rooms that they had passed, but discarded the idea almost immediately. Chances were pretty high that Chuck and Jeff would find them and Tony didn't want to be trapped in a tiny room, with the only way out blocked by an angry criminal.

_'No thanks. Been there, done that.'_

So they had run and run and run (right, left, left, right) until they had been completely lost. Well, it wasn't like they had a certain destination and Tony thought that it didn't really matter as long as they kept moving and eluding their pursuers.

_'That's cowardice Anthony. I taught you better.'_

Tony's step faltered when his father's voice growled in his head. It wasn't the first time that the voice of DiNozzo Sr. haunted his son, but it had never sounded so oppressive before. Tony once again wiped his forehead with an irritated jerky movement, not even noticing that his hand was shaking ever so slightly and that he felt warmer than he should be.

All he could think about was that the voice was right. His father would think that it was cowardly to run away like that. DiNozzo's didn't run. DiNozzo's _fought._

And then he wondered what Gibbs would think, and the knot in his stomach tightened painfully when he considered that he might have disappointed the man. Somewhere, deep down, he knew that it wasn't like that. That this was exactly what Gibbs would have done in his situation, but the doubts remained.

He was only mildly surprised when he realized that he was more concerned about Gibbs reaction than his father's, and that it was more important to him what the Agent thought of him.

He knew that it was wrong _('You barely know the man, for God's sake!'),_ but he couldn't help it. Something about the way the older man spoke to him and treated him raised an odd longing inside of him. An emotion that he had thought long-lost.

It would be hard to let go of that again.

_'But you don't have to._' the same voice that had tortured him that morning insisted once more. _'If you don't want to, you really don't have to.'_

"Yes, I do." Tony practically shouted, but it lacked conviction.

"W-What?" Mia asked from besides him. Her breathing had gotten heavier as well over the last few minutes and she stumbled from time to time over her own feet.

"Nothing."

_'Geez, get a grip on yourself Tony.'_ He had never been one to talk to himself and it kinda worried him that he was starting now of all times. And why was it getting so damn hot in here?

"Tony?" Mia asked, beginning to slow down. "Could we stop for a second?"

The boy stopped immediately. It was like his legs had just waited for Mia's question. "Okay" Tony panted while he peered around the corner they had just passed. "But only for a minute or so."

Mia nodded wordlessly and leaned against the wall to catch her breath. Tony noted that she was still clutching his hand like she was afraid he would disappear if she let go, but found that he didn't really mind the contact. He was usually always a little bit queasy when someone touched his bare skin but it was okay with Mia. He didn't have to be afraid that the affectionate touch would turn into something painful, since he couldn't imagine that she would hurt him.

_'And Gibbs'_ Tony realized with a start, remembering the afternoon when Gibbs had ruffled his hair in his father's office. He hadn't felt uncomfortable then. He had actually kind of enjoyed it. _'It's also okay with Gibbs.'_

"Tony? How long until Agent Gibbs gets here?"

_'How long indeed'_, Tony thought while he tried to estimated the time that had passed since he had spoken to the man. He didn't wear a watch, but he didn't think that the 30 minutes were up yet. _'But I shouldn't forget Gibbs driving'_ The ghost of a smile crossed his lips. _'Yep, Gibbs' driving is definitely a factor...'_

Mia waited patiently for his answer and he was about to open his mouth when he stopped cold and held a finger to his mouth to show her that they had to be silent. He listened intently for a few moments but heard nothing than his own breathing. He was about to blame his frenzied state when he heard it again.

Distant steps. Someone was closing in on them, and Tony was pretty sure that that someone wasn't Gibbs. The Agent would have called out by now.

He didn't hesitate any longer and ran in the other direction, pulling the little girl with him. They turned right and stopped immediately when they didn't see another corridor but a staircase, much like the one Chuck had taken when he'd brought Tony to the second floor.

_'It must be the one that leads to the third floor.'_ Tony thought and remembered Gibbs words about a fire that had supposedly destroyed the highest floor. It had looked alright from the outside but there was no telling how bad it would be up there. Maybe it was an expanse of rubble but maybe there was nothing. And nothing would mean no cover to hide should Chuck follow them. They would be trapped and Tony didn't want to risk that. He decided that they would have to take their chances with the second floor.

The decision hadn't taken him more than a few seconds but when Tony turned around to go the way back that they had come, he realized that the few seconds had been enough for Chuck to catch up. The Redhead rounded the corner at the far end of the corridor, gun raised and a furious scowl on his face.

Their eyes met and Tony watched in morbid fascination as the man pointed the gun in his direction. Redhead screamed something filthy and insulting but it was drowned out by a nasty bang.

The bullet hit the wall to his right, but it took Mia's terrified screams to pull the boy out of his stupor and put some feeling back into his legs.

He hauled the girl behind the corner and towards the stairs. There was no turning back now. Tony couldn't see the trigger-happy man anymore, but he could certainly hear his heavy steps and incoherent screams.

They tore up the stairs and Tony could only pray that there was something up there, _anything_, that would offer them some protection.

It seemed to take hours, but they finally reached the third floor and Tony wanted to thump his fist into the air and cry in relief.

The third floor smelled even worse than the rest of the building, and the walls were black and charred from the fire and looked worse for wear, but all that didn't matter right now. What mattered was that the whole place was literally packed with all kinds of boxes, as far as the eye could see. Some of them were at least as tall as Tony and others were stacked and almost reached the ceiling. It all looked were shaky and Tony couldn't fathom why anyone would want to turn the most damaged floor into some kind of huge storeroom, but he wasn't about to complain either. Not if that curiosity could safe their lives.

They could hear that Chuck was already on the stairs and dived behind one of the boxes. The arrangement was so chaotic that they were able to move deeper into the room without even once having to leave their cover. Tony motioned Mia to stop when they had traveled a good distance in order to listen for any noises that would reveal Chucks current position. The man must have reached the floor by now and Tony didn't want to run into him. The problem of their new surroundings was that while Chuck wasn't able to see them, they weren't able to see Chuck either.

For a long moment he heard nothing but their own breathing and his rapid heartbeat, then Redheads voice pierced through the silence, menacing and deadly.

"Rich Daddy or not. When I find you, you are so dead boy."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Gibbs knelt besides the door that led into the warehouse and motioned the two men on the other side to wait for his signal.

It had taken them less than thirty minutes to reach this place and the man was anxious to get in there, but he had to wait until everyone was in position. The officers had surrounded the building with astonishing swiftness and Gibbs couldn't help but be impressed with the NYPD. It was not often that the local police followed the orders of someone who, technically, wasn't even their superior. But then again, the lives of two children should be reason enough to forget jurisdiction and work together.

Whatever the reason, Gibbs was glad that he had backup that he could count on.

Another policeman gave him the signal that everyone was in position and were only waiting for his sign.

He took a deep breath, raised three fingers and began to count down.

_"-3-"_

_'If you managed to get yourself killed...'_

_"-2-"_

_'...I'm going to shoot you.'_

_"-1-"_

_'So you better be okay, Tony...'_

"GO!"

One of the bulky officers raised his foot and kicked the door in. His leg was still raised as the first men stormed through the opening, raising their guns and securing the area. Gibbs was close behind, and it didn't take him long to take everything in.

Jeffrey Godin was still sitting on the couch, a beer can in the one, and a slice of pizza in the other hand. His eyes were wide with shock and he gaped at the intruders like he was still half asleep and didn't know if he was dreaming or not. He made no move to stand up until two policemen grabbed the gob smacked man from behind and forced him to lie on the floor.

One of them cuffed him while the other read him his rights, but Godin didn't seem to hear the officer. When the cuffs had clicked around his wrists, it had finally broken through his trance and he started screaming, thrashing like a madman while he was held to the floor.

Gibbs squatted down in front of the man and grabbed his shoulder to get his attention.

"Where are they?" he asked and the controlled rage in his voice seemed to catch Godins attention. He stared at the Agent with badly concealed fright.

"If you tell us where they are," Gibbs continued, leaning down so he could whisper into Godins ear, "I'm not gonna request some quality time with you in your cell."

Godin didn't know Gibbs reputation, but he didn't have to. The look in his eyes told him everything he needed to know.

"I-I don't know." he stammered and at Gibbs' snarl quickly added. "T-They escaped somehow and Chuck wanted me to stay here in case they tried to leave the building while he searched for them upstairs. I-I haven't heard from him since then. They are still somewhere in the building but I don't know where, I swear to God, I don't know."

Gibbs believed him, but that was the problem.

Godin didn't act like the typical criminal mastermind that was ruthless enough to kidnap a little girl. He seemed more like the typical follower. But that meant that Bennet had been the driving force behind this whole plan and that man was now chasing two kids through an empty building. He was about to organize a search party, when a nasty but distant bang echoed through the building.

Gibbs knew that sound all too well and it made his blood run cold.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_'Oh God, my back is killing me.'_ Tony thought while he tried to stretch himself without making too much noise.

It had been ten minutes since their second unpleasant encounter with Chucky and it had been some nerve-splitting ten minutes.

Tony for his part had barely dared to breath in case Redhead could hear it somehow. The man had become a faceless monster since they still couldn't see him. Only the noises he made while he crept through the room told the kids that he was still there, searching for them.

There had been a few times when the man had passed their hiding place, and had been so near that Tony could have reached out and touched his shoes. Mia had been exceptionally silent during those moments, although Tony could feel her shiver besides him. He had praised her with a look and a smile which she had always returned but he could see that she was at the end of her rope. And to be honest, so was Tony.

The Italian had developed a splitting headache and he wasn't sure how long he would be able to keep this bizarre version of 'Hide and Seek' up. He was tired, angry, and frustrated. And it certainly didn't help that the maniac with the gun was eerily silent all of the sudden. They hadn't heard his muttering or heavy footsteps for the better part of a minute now and it worried Tony.

The noises had been their only clue to whether he was near and they needed to change position, or whether he was at the other end of the hall and they were able to relax a little bit. Without the noises they were practically blind.

The boy closed his eyes, since they were kinda' useless right now, and tried to concentrate on the noises around them. Mia seemed to hold her breath besides him, but it took a moment before he finally heard a shuffle...in front of them!

Eyes snapped open and landed on the back of Charles Bennet. The man was standing a few feet away from them, with his back on the kids. They could only see his torso and head since his lower half was hidden behind a box. Tony had to stifle a gasp.

The man was disturbingly close and they hadn't even realized it. They should have been able to hear his approach.

All Chuck needed to do now was turn his head a little bit and he would discover the cowering children.

It was, like so many things he did, a split-second decision. Tony motioned Mia to stay where she was while he crawled, ever so slowly, to another nearby box. His eyes were fixed on the man, watching out for every, ever so small, movement. When he reached the wooden box he leapt to his feet and began to run, hunched over, making as much noise as he could.

As soon as he heard heavy footsteps behind him he knew that his plan to entice the man away from Mia's position had worked.

"But what now, Tony?" he muttered while he passed one stack after another. He could hear Chucks enraged screams from behind him and decided that it didn't matter what he did next, as long as the man didn't catch up with him.

The number of crates around him decreased with every step he took until Tony found himself in front of the staircase again. He was about to run towards it when his leg suddenly gave out from under him and send him tumbling to the floor. The fall was hard on his wrist although he had thought to cradle it against his chest and the boy was sure that he would pass out from the pain.

But blissful unconsciousness eluded him and he just lay there panting and gasping. Tony hadn't realized how spent he had been from the days events and how much this little sprint had drained his last bit of energy.

How nice it would have been to just keep lying there and close his eyes but Tony knew that he couldn't do that.

It felt like an eternity before he managed to sit up, and he didn't think that he would be able to stand. But when someone cast a shadow over his hunched form he realized that it wasn't necessary anymore.

"Thought you could save the day, huh?!" Bennet spat. The man was standing over the boy, gun pointed somewhere at his chest. "Thought you could be the hero, huh?! But you know what? As soon as I put a bullet through your skull, I'm gonna' find the little bitch and do the same to her. How do you like that, huh?!"

Tony kept his head down, mostly to avoid the droplets of salvia that kept raining down on him, but also because he didn't want the man to see the fear on his face.

Oh, he wasn't afraid for himself. He was afraid for Mia who was all alone right now, with no means to defend herself. He was afraid for her parents and the grief they would have to overcome when they buried their little daughter. He was afraid for Gibbs, who would have to face his father's wrath, although Tony couldn't believe that the older Italian would grief that much about his no-good son.

They all would suffer because Tony hadn't been strong enough. Because Tony had failed to keep his promise. Tony didn't want to die, but he didn't really see a way to avoid it. He was only sorry that he'd never been able to prove his father that his son wasn't worthless.

To prove himself that he wasn't worthless.

Tony lifted his head just in time to see Chuck's sneer and how his finger tightened around the trigger.

"Goodbye you little piece of shit."

Tony squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the pain to stop.

The shot was louder than he would have thought.

TBC

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A/N: Ahhhh, Evil-Cliffhanger. You have to either love, or hate them. :)


	14. Chapter 14

_**Disclaimer:** Pfff, please. I'm not even owning this laptop..._

_**A/N:** There is really no satisfying explanation for the long delay... I guess I was just being an lazy aft. Oh Primus, I'm reading too many Transformers fics... Speaking of Transformers: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN!!! SOON!!! YAY!!!_

_(...)_

_ehem... sorry but I tend to little outbursts when I'm excited... :P_

_This chapter was beta'd by **Keahi Spitfire (aka ktwesterna**)! I would be lost without you! All remaining mistakes are my own._

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The Day Before The Day

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Chapter 14

He was dying. He was dying a painful and horrible and pointless death, in some godforsaken warehouse, amidst garbage and rats. He hadn't seen any rats yet, but every abandoned building had them. Why should this one be an exception? He just hoped that Gibbs would find his corpse before they had a chance to... _Nononono!_ He didn't want to think about that! His painful and horrible and pointless death was bad enough, thank you very much!

But, if he was honest with himself, he had to admit that it wasn't really _that_ pointless. Mia was still alive and well and maybe she would even stay that way until help arrived, since Tony had ensured that Bennet was momentarily..._distracted_. So, no. Not pointless at all.

But it _was _painful and horrible. Yeah, it was _definitely_ painful and horrible.

Although... it didn't really hurt that much. Hell, he actually felt pretty fine. Well, aside from the splitting headache and the throbbing wrist of course. But otherwise...yeah pretty okay. That was odd, wasn't it? Shouldn't he feel at least something? Shouldn't he feel how the bullet tore through his chest? Shouldn't he at least have some trouble breathing? He took a deep breath and realized that his throat was still raw and scratchy, but otherwise fine. No chest pain, no shortness of breath, just nothing. All things considered, he was in astonishingly good condition for someone who was dying.

But wait! Maybe he wasn't dying after all. Maybe he was still...

Tony's eyes snapped open with a start when he _(finally)_ realized that he was still in one piece and very much alive. He patted his own chest for confirmation, but he already knew that he wouldn't find a gaping bullet hole or blood.

It hadn't been him who had died in a godforsaken warehouse amidst garbage and rats after all.

The boy could only stare at the prone and obviously dead form of Charles Bennet. The kidnapper had fallen on his back and his head was facing away from Tony, so the boy didn't have to see his face. But he could clearly see the blood that began to surround Bennet's head like some bizarre imitation of a halo. Tony quickly averted his gaze before the urge to vomit became overwhelming.

The man had kidnapped a little girl and had been about to kill him, but the Italian couldn't help but pity Charles Bennet, and feel sorry for him and the way he had died. Albeit only a little bit.

But more than pity he felt relief and gratefulness. Relief that it was finally over and gratefulness for whoever had shot the man and saved his life.

Something on his sneakers caught his attention and he had to do a double take before he realized what the little red dots on his shoes were. Blood. They were tiny and he probably wouldn't have seen them if his sneakers hadn't been of a light blue, but this time Tony _couldn't_ avert his gaze. He was transfixed with shock and his mind kept repeating _'It's not yours. Don't worry, it's not yours!' It's Bennet's, not yours!'_, but somehow that didn't reassure him one bit. Quite the contrary, actually.

Only when someone called his name was he able to tear his eyes off his shoes and turn around. Because he knew that voice, wouldn't forget it for the rest of his life.

Agent Gibbs was running towards him, his gun still pointed at the dead man. His eyes however, rested on the boy. There was concern written all over his face, but also something else. Something that wasn't quite anger but pretty close. Whatever it was, at the sight of the Agent, Tony couldn't quite help the little laugh that escaped his lips. It sounded more like a sob than anything else.

Everything was going to be okay now, because Gibbs was here. It was as simple as that in Tony's mind.

Gibbs had reached him by now and kicked Bennet's gun away as far as he could. He then bent down to check his pulse, as if he didn't already know that he wouldn't find one.

"Are you okay? Did he hit you?"

Tony needed a moments to realize that Gibbs was talking to him. He shook his head and rasped a feeble "'M fine."

Gibbs stared at him with a look that practically screamed 'Are you kidding?', before he stood up and made his way towards the boy.

For a moment, Tony was sure that Gibbs would hug him or something like that. It wasn't that he wouldn't appreciate the gesture, but he felt uncomfortable when someone got too close, physically _and_ emotionally. And Gibbs had already become _way_ too close over the past two days. Besides, Tony felt pretty awful right now and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep it together when Gibbs suddenly acted all fatherly towards him. He didn't want to break down in front of the Agent. Not now. Not ever.

He couldn't help but stiffen when Gibbs drew nearer and raised his arm like he wanted to hug Tony, but what the man did next took him entirely by surprise. When it was over Tony could do nothing more than stare at Gibbs in utter shock and rub the back of his head.

Did the man just..._ head slap him_?

The boy was speechless. Gibbs had actually head slapped him. Just seconds after he'd saved his life. But what surprised him even more was the fact that it didn't change anything. Gibbs had hit him and yet Tony was still here, not cowering in some dark corner ofthe room. He wasn't even remotely afraid of the man and he found that he still trusted him completely.

Maybe it had something to do with the expression on Gibbs face. Not hate and contempt, but concern and worry. So different from his father's expression when he hit his son. And Gibbs hadn't really hit him, had he? It had been more like a... forceful pat. Tony was pretty sure that it wouldn't have hurt, if not for his headache.

That didn't mean that he would just accept it though.

"What was that for?"

"You want me to give you a list?" Gibbs growled and squatted down in front of the boy. "What about coming to Chelsia Piers when I told ya' to stay in the motel? And let's not forget you getting yourself kidnapped. I still don't get how you managed that by the way, but I'm gonna find out!"

Tony was too tired to be intimidated by Gibbs behavior, so he just nodded and tried to hold on to consciousness. Gibbs seemed to sense that there was something wrong with the kid because the scowl almost completely disappeared. He reached for Tony's head but this time he merely rested his hand on the kid's forehead. He left it there for a few seconds before running his fingers through the boy's hair.

Tony thought that it was the most pleasant sensation he'd felt in years and couldn't keep himself from leaning into the touch.

"You're burning up kiddo."

Gibbs voice wasn't gruff anymore but soft and even a little bit apologetic. Tony would have gloated over that if he hadn't felt so unbearable hot. He felt pretty dizzy and found that it was difficult to keep his eyes open or even listen to his surroundings anymore. Tony was vaguely aware of Gibbs speaking to someone who wasn't even there, but he couldn't bring himself to care right now. He just wanted to sleep for the next few days.

"I called Ducky. He and the paramedics should arrive shortly." Gibbs whispered to the boy in his lap. Tony blinked sheepishly. How did he end up in Gibbs lap? "Come on Tony, stay awake. You have to tell us where Mia is."

Mia's name worked like a bucket of ice-cold water and Tony was instantly wide awake.

Oh God, he'd forgotten about Mia. How could he forget about Mia? She was the very reason why he was even here right now. The girl was still sitting behind a box, probably scared out of her mind.

He struggled to stand up but Gibbs held him down, which wasn't too hard considering Tony's current condition. "Calm down, just tell me where she is." Gibbs said and Tony was about to do just that when he was interrupted by a high-pitched scream that vaguely sounded like his name.

Man and boy turned their heads into the direction of the voice and were greeted by the sight of a crying Mia. She was running towards them and stumbled a few times and kept yelling his name. Tony was oddly touched that she was that worried about him. He assumed that she must have heard the shot and assumed the worst.

Gibbs was getting out of his jacket and covered the body before Mia could get a good look at it, but the little girl had eyes only for Tony, who was still awkwardly half lying and half sitting in Gibbs lap. She came to a sudden halt when she reached themand more or less threw herself onto her knees.

"T-Tony...Tony...I was...and you were...and then I heard....TONY!" she wailed and without further ado, threw herself into his arms. Her leg brushed his wrist and Tony whimpered at the new wave of pain, but returned the hug as best as he could.

Tony couldn't imagine that Gibbs was comfortable with the weight of two children on top of him but the Agent sounded amused when he said, "It's okay Mia. He's fine. You can let go of him now."

At first it didn't seem like Mia had heard him, but after a few seconds, she drew back just enough to look up at Gibbs.

"A-Agent Gibbs?" Tony couldn't see Gibbs' reaction but the man must have nodded because Mia suddenly began to smile. "Can I see my Mommy and Daddy now?"

"Your Mommy is going to wait for you at the hospital. You gonna' see her soon."

Mia was crying again, but you could tell that it were tears of relief. Tony on the other hand cringed when Gibbs mentioned the hospital. There was only one hospital in the vicinity and only one doctor who would be allowed to treat his injuries. And he _so_ didn't want to see that man right now.

He craned his neck until he was able to see Gibbs face. "Do I have to go to the hospital?"

The Agent stared at him as if he wanted to ask 'Are you insane?' but instead drawled. "You have a broken wrist and fever. What do you think?"

Tony forced a smile on his lips and tried to sound as upbeat as possible. "Broken? Come on, it's not broken. A little bit sprained maybe. I'll put some ice on it and it'll be as good as new."

Gibbs sighed heavily and fixed him with a steely glance. "It _is_ broken and you will go to the hospital or I'll drag you there myself. Have I made myself clear?"

There was a brief insane moment where Tony wanted to tell Gibbs that he wasn't the boss of him, and couldn't tell him what to do. But he soon realized that it would be kinda' pointless to survive Bennet, just to get throttled by an angry Agent Gibbs, so he held his tongue. "Crystal. Hospital it is."

Gibbs had a bemused expression on his face and stared at him for a long moment before he smirked at the boy and nodded slightly. They lapsed into silence after that and even Mia was oddly silent except for the occasional sniffs and hiccups, the last remains of her earlier crying fit.

She looked mighty tired and Tony knew that he didn't look much different. He certainly didn't _feel_ much different. And who could blame him? He was pretty tough when he had to be, but even he couldn't deny that today's events had taken a toll on him. He was bone tired and his eyes seemed to shut on their own accord. This was certainly not something he wanted to do every day...

"Is it always like this?" Tony was appalled at how sleepy and weak his voice sounded.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, does something like this happen often in your line of work? You know, getting kidnapped, facing some deranged killer, getting shot at..." he trailed off when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

Gibbs looked towards the staircase and reached for his gun until they could see Ducky and two paramedics making their way towards their little group. The Agent visibly relaxed and waved at them before turning back to the boy, a crooked smile on his lips.

"Nah, it doesn't." he drawled. "Being an NCIS Agent is mostly pretty boring."

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If you'd asked Tony to describe hospitals with one adjective he would have told you, without hesitation, that hospitals were _'oppressive'. _The white walls, white sheets and the white teeth of the personnel when they smiled at you without really meaning it... It all seemed to overwhelm him, it all was just... too _much._

Because he couldn't help but think that it all seemed dirty. The walls, the floor, even the air - everything was dirty.

But Tony wasn't stupid. He knew that that wasn't really the case, that everything in this building was as clean and germ-free as it could be. Maybe it was the buildings aura, or whatever you called it. Or maybe it was the fact that this was a place where people suffered and sometimes even died.

Tony wasn't sure what it was, but he hated being here and lying on this clean, yet dirty, bed and having to stare at Dr. Benson's wide smile.

"You were quite lucky, young man. We had to put a cast on your wrist but it was a clean break. It shouldn't cause you any trouble in the future."

The man was tall but skinny, with a mop of blonde hair on his head. He was always clicking his tongue when he spoke to patients, an odd habit that was amusing and annoying at the same time. The doctor stared at the chart in his hand and Tony silently counted to three before he heard the familiar sound of his clicking tongue.

He wondered if he should be concerned that he knew his doctor better than some of his friends...

"You developed a slight fever, but the antibiotics we gave you are already working. We'd like to keep you overnight, just to be on the safe side." He patted Tony's leg and his smile became a little bit forced. "We've called your father and he agreed with us. He asked me to tell you that he'll come home next week and that he's already eager to talk to you about recent events."

Tony knew a veiled threat when he heard it, and he fought the sudden urge to slap Benson's hand away. In the end he just closed his eyes and endured his touch. He wasn't afraid of the man, Dr. Benson would never hurt him, but Tony was sickened by his jovial attitude. He could see the golden watch on Benson's wrist and he knew exactly where he'd gotten the money to buy it.

Dr. Christopher Benson was his 'personal physician'**. **In other words; he was the man that treated the welts on his back and his broken bones, but kept his mouth shut for a little extra money. When he'd examined the boy a few hours earlier and seen the new welts on his back, the man had swallowed hard and talked rapidly about trivial things, never meeting Tony's eyes.

Like he always did.

Tony was pretty sure that if he asked the man to call social services, he would do it. But Tony wouldn't beg for help, not from this man anyway. And as long as the boy didn't say anything, the doctor would act like nothing was wrong. Like he didn't 'earn' more money than his colleagues, and like he hadn't been able to buy his daughter the horse she'd always wanted from said money.

Tony couldn't really blame him though. Every man for himself, right? But he really wished that he could wipe that sweet, and probably genuine, smile off his face. If Benson worked for DiNozzo Sr. he should at least do it properly and treat him like dirt. Like everyone else on his father's payroll did.

He didn't need Benson's pity.

The tense silence was interrupted by a knock on his door and Tony's mood improved immediately when he saw Mrs. Kent, with Mia in her arms, and Ducky enter the room.

The woman looked a lot better than the last time he'd seen her. There were still dark bags under her eyes but she was smiling widely at him. Her whole face seemed to glow and Tony grinned right back when she practically flew across the room and gathered him in a bone crushing hug. Mia was trapped between them but she didn't seem to care, since she giggled happily and played with her mother's earring.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! Oh Tony... I... Oh God, _Thank you_!"

Tony was a little embarrassed by the whole situation, but let her hug him a few seconds more before he gently pulled away. He had a feeling that she'd needed that embrace more than he did.

"I didn't do much Mrs. Kent."

And that was the truth, wasn't it? Others had saved her daughter. He'd just kept her company while they waited for help.

Mrs. Kent straightened and regarded him with a serious expression. "Nonsense! Mia and Dr. Mallard told me what you did." She ran a hand through the hair of her child. "You kept my daughter safe until help arrived and almost got killed in the process. My husband and I are deeply indebted to you."

"Yeah!" Mia piped up, startling Tony and her mother. "I wasn't scared anymore when you came. Thank you!"

Tony could feel the heat creep up his cheeks, and lowered his head so no one else would see it. He couldn't understand why they acted like he'd done something utterly amazing. He'd just helped a little girl who needed help. And he hadn't even done a good job of it. Mia's arms and face featured various scrapes from where she'd brushed against the wodden boxes on the third floor. She had been hurt while being with him. Why would Mrs. Kent feel the need to tell him that she was indebted to him?

"It was nothing." He mumbled under his breath, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. He began to fidget under the woman's intense gaze and searched the room for some kind of distraction. He noticed that Ducky hadn't joined the conversation, but stood in front of the window. The man whispered with Dr. Benson and Tony assumed that he was asking the younger doctor about his condition. The ME had wanted to help the young Doctor with Tony's examination but Benson had been very adamant about performing it alone.

For obvious reasons.

Ducky had stayed back in the waiting room while Gibbs had returned to the station to question Godin and deal with the paperwork.

Tony had been more than surprised when the Agent had driven with him in the ambulance, and even held his hand while one of the paramedics set an IV-line. He knew that the man had more important things to do, so he hadn't been disappointed when Gibbs had squeezed his shoulder as soon as they reached the hospital and told him, that he had to go but would come back as soon as he could. Tony understood why Gibbs couldn't stay.

Nevertheless he was a bit sad that the man wasn't here right now. Ducky was great and all, but he just wasn't Gibbs.

Mia yawned all of a sudden and rubbed her eyes while her mother smiled down at her. "Oh honey I'm sorry. You're really tired aren't you?" Mia nodded, her eyes already closed. "Well, thank god that the doctor already cleared you. We better get you home in your bed-" She trailed off when her eyes fell on Tony, clothed in scrubs and obviously not going anywhere.

She blushed a bright red and Tony hid a smirk behind his hand.

"Oh I'm sorry sweetie! You know what? I'll visit you tomorrow before they discharge you and bring you some of my world-famous oatmeal cookies. What do you say?"

Mia's head snapped up and bleary eyes looked around the room. "Cookies?"

Mrs. Kent and Tony chuckled softly. "Later honey. Later you'll get as many cookies as you like."

The little girl smiled dreamily, her head already dropping back on Mrs. Kent's shoulder. "Mmpf 'kay."

Her mother waited until she was sure that her daughter was fast asleep before she turned back towards Tony. "Sooo, is it okay, when I visit you again?"

Tony thought that it was a fairly stupid question since he couldn't really say no (and didn't want to, for that matter) but he just nodded his head and smiled shyly up at her. "That would be great. Thank you."

He only realized that the woman had been quite tense when her shoulders dropped in relief at his answer. She bend down and kissed him on his forehead. Her cold lips felt good against his hot skin and Tony wondered if his mother had kissed him like that when he was ill. He couldn't really remember her all that well but he liked the idea that he once had a loving mother who was concerned for his health.

The boy was still trying to imagine the late Mrs. DiNozzo, caring for her sick child, when Mrs. Kent opened the door and left the room. "I'll see you tomorrow then." she shouted over her shoulder, and before Tony could react they were gone.

With the click of the door he relaxed against his pillow, feeling as if the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders.

Mia was back with her Mom. He'd kept his promise.

It was over.

He closed his eyes and allowed himself a small smile.

_'So that's what it's like to get the bad guys? No wonder people like Gibbs like this job so much...'_

He must had dozed off, because when he opened his eyes the next time Dr. Benson was gone and Ducky was sitting on a chair beside his bed, studying his chart. Tony didn't know if he should feel affronted that the man was reading his chart without his consent or whether he should be flattered that the doctor cared so much for his well being. After careful consideration he decided to ignore it altogether.

"Hey Doc." he croaked.

Ducky looked up and smiled at him. "There you are."

Tony's mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and before he could ask for something to drink, Ducky was handing him a glass of water. "Small sips."

Tony obeyed and shot little side glances at the man besides him. Ducky noticed them fairly quickly however, and frowned at the kid. "Is something the matter my boy? Should I call Dr. Benson?"

Tony shook his head but immediately regretted it when the movement aggravated his headache.

"No. I just wondered why you decided to deal with the dead instead of the living. You are pretty good at this whole bedside manner thing."

Ducky stared at him for a moment before he burst into laughing. "Oh, but my dear boy, even the deceased need someone with a good bedside manner." At Tony's incredulous look he elaborated. "The dead, especially those who died a painful, violent death, need someone who is willing to listen. My job allows me to help the victims find justice. I love helping those who can't help themselves." He winked at the boy in front of him. "And I am under the impression that you do as well."

Tony couldn't deny that. He did love helping those who couldn't defend themselves. He loved it when Jimmy or one of the other kids were able to smile again because they knew that they were safe in his presence. He had loved seeing Mia in her mother's arms, safe and laughing.

But it didn't matter what_ he_ loved. What _he _wanted to do. His future was set and there was nothing he could do about that. He was a coward after all.

"What are you still doing here?" Tony asked, pushing his dark thoughts aside. "I mean, not that I don't appreciate it, but aren't you needed somewhere else?"

"Jethro asked me to stay here and keep and eye on you." At Tony's pout the doctor chuckled. "Don't look at me like that. But to answer your question: My single purpose right now is to stay with you until Gibbs or your father arrive."

"Did you hear something new from Agent Gibbs?" Tony blurted and hoped that Ducky wouldn't ask more questions about his father. For example why the man wasn't here yet. Tony really didn't think that he would be able to explain his absence without revealing that his father just didn't give a damn about his son.

Ducky regarded him with a bemused expression but answered anyway. "Jethro called an hour ago. It appears that he'll need longer than he had expected. He asked me to tell you that he'll be here as soon as he can to record your statement."

Ducky's voice had grown grave during the last sentence and Tony couldn't shake the feeling that there was something that the doctor wasn't telling him.

"He's mad, isn't he?" Tony didn't know why his voice was trembling.

"Excuse me?"

"Gibbs!" Tony exclaimed. "He is mad at me isn't he?"

Ducky didn't answer straight away but when he did, it was with a soft smile on his lips. "No, Jethro is not mad at you Anthony. He was a little bit miffed when he heard what you did, but only because he was worried for you."

"Worried?"

Ducky nodded. "You have grown on him my dear boy. I'm sure that Jethro is actually quite proud of you, even if he'll never tell you that personally." The man paused for a moment, as if he wasn't sure whether he should continue, but in the end he just added, "And if there is something that bothers you, I'm sure that he'll listen. So if there is anything... anything at all, you feel the need to talk about, do it. Jethro will help you."

Tony stared at his hands which were clenched around his blanket and wouldn't meet Ducky's eyes.

"I'm pretty tired Dr. Mallard. Would you mind if I go back to sleep?"

Ducky sighed and nodded. "Of course." He picked up the book that had lain in his lap during the entire conversation. "I'm just going to read for a little while. I'll wake you when Jethro comes back."

Tony nodded mutely and turned his back on the reading man. He closed his eyes and willed sleep to come so he wouldn't have to think about his words. But he found that he was wide awake now. So he just laid there, repeating Ducky's words in his head, over and over and over again...

_'Jethro will help you.'_

TBC

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A/N: Well, Gibbs is already lying to the poor boy. I mean we all know that Tony's career is NOT going to be boring! :)

_Well guys, only two more chapter to go. With _this_ intallment anyway... :)_


	15. Chapter 15

_**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Sadly..._

_**A/N**: Sorry for the long wait but you get a ridiculous long chapter. Almost 6000 words. That's something, isn't it? :)_

_This was beta'd by the wonderful Keahi Spitfire (aka. ktwesterna). Thank you for your encouraging words._

_PLEASE, PLEASE, **PLEASE WITH SUGAR ON TOP**, READ THE RATHER LONG AUTHORS NOTE AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER! IT'S IMPORTANT! (for me at least)_

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**The Day Before The Day**

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Chapter 15

It was late afternoon when Gibbs was finally able to leave the police station. The interrogation and paperwork hadn't taken him as long as he had feared, but still long enough to make him wish he'd still have Nickols to pass the work on. Getting the information he wanted from Jeffrey Godin had been fairly easy - the man had confessed _everything_ as soon as Gibbs entered the interrogation room, even things Gibbs didn't really need, or want to know.

Apparently, Godin and Bennet had attended the same high school and kept up with each other over the years.

When Mrs. Kents sister, Caroline Kent, had left him, Godin had suddenly realized that he had nothing he could call his own. No money, no belongings, and no home. Everything he'd owned had been property of Ms. Caroline Kent, except for the clothes he'd been wearing the moment she had kicked him out of _her _house. Without Caroline, he was nothing.

Angry, and according to Godin, hungry and desperate, he'd gone to his old friend Charles Bennet. The man had invited him to stay for the time being but it'd soon become obvious that Bennet had quite a share of problems of his own. He'd lost his job just a few weeks prior to Godin's arrival and had managed to get himself burdened with debts.

One fateful night the two men had gotten themselves drunk and lamented over their miserable lives and how it was terribly unfair that some people were living in the lap of luxury, while others had nothing. That's when Godin had remembered the family of his ex and the money they'd inherited. His friend had suddenly asked many questions about this family and the inheritance, but Jeff had thought nothing of it.

Only two weeks later, when Bennet approached him with a plan to 'remedy' their situation, did Godin realize why his friend had been so interested in the Kent's, and especially their little girl.

He told Gibbs, in tears, that he'd tried to talk Chuck out of it but that his friend had been very adamant and convincing.

Gibbs believed that Godin hadn't really wanted to kidnap the niece of his ex, but that didn't change the fact that the man would probably spend the rest of his life in jail. Because, no matter how much he'd tried to stop Chuck, in the end he'd relented and taken part in the kidnapping of Mia Kent. And no amount of tears and remorse could change that.

After that, it had pretty much proceeded as Gibbs had already assumed: The men had observed the Kent's and waited for the perfect moment when they could grab the girl and disappear without a trace. And it would have worked if not for an unforeseeable coincidence. A coincidence named Anthony DiNozzo.

Godin's eyes had practically bulged when Gibbs had revealed the identity of the boy who had tried to stop them that day. The same boy they'd kidnapped just two days later and who'd been their downfall.

Gibbs had left the sobbing man soon afterwards, musing over the subtle irony of life.

The following paperwork had been a pain in the ass, but not nearly as bad as his last conversation with the Chief of Police.

The man had looked like he wanted to rip the NCIS Agent apart, molecule by molecule. And although Gibbs wasn't the least bit intimidated by that, he'd let the outraged man scream at him, his face void of any emotion.

He'd let the man rant and rave for the better part of an hour. About how stupid he'd been to let the DiNozzo heir (_'The boy has a name'_ Gibbs thought sourly) out of his sight and how fortunate he could consider himself that Mr. DiNozzo wouldn't press any charges against him because he had, after all, saved his son's life. That his career could have been over if not for Mr. DiNozzo's magnanimity and that he should be f**** grateful for that!

Gibbs had stood rigid in front of Lancaster's desk and let the words wash over him. He didn't give a damn about DiNozzo sr.'s lawyers and his 'magnanimity'. The only reason why he hadn't left the office the moment Lancaster insulted his intelligence had been his own guilt. He was perfectly aware of the fact that the boy had been hurt because he hadn't properly protected him and some part of him thought that he deserved some kind of dressing-down. Even if it came from a corrupted idiot.

In the end, Chief Lancaster had informed him that Mr. DiNozzo had called and expressed the wish that Gibbs was to keep away from his son in the future.

"And we want to grant him that wish, won't we Agent Gibbs?" Lancaster had asked, malice and venom dripping from his voice like poison.

Gibbs had merely nodded and turned to leave. "I understand."

Now, half and hour later, he strolled into the hospital and searched for Anthony DiNozzo's room.

He couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth. It was kind of funny that Mr. DiNozzo apparently seemed to believe that he could tell Leroy Jethro Gibbs what to do. He'd promised the boy that he would come back and even if he hadn't, he would have done so anyway. There were still a few things they needed to talk about.

It didn't take him long to find the room, probably because Ducky was standing right in front of it, speaking to the man that had treated Tony's injuries.

Ducky noticed him and greeted the Agent with a warm smile. "Ah Jethro. I didn't expect you this soon. Is everything alright?"

Gibbs merely shrugged and nodded towards the closed door.

"How is he Ducky?"

"As well as he can be, I would guess." Ducky turned back towards the doctor who had been watching them with wary eyes. "The good Dr. Benson just told me that the fever has finally gone down."

The man nodded hastily. "Yes. A few days rest and the boy will be right as rain." He looked at his watch and began to excuse himself. "I have to go. There's another patient waiting for me. It was nice meeting you, Mr...?"

Gibbs was about to give his name when he remembered Lancaster's words and DiNozzo's threats. He didn't think that the doctor could actually stop him from seeing the boy, but it would be annoying to have to deal with security guards and angry millionaires, so he just took the offered hand and said, "Banks. Agent Banks."

Ducky shot him an incredulous look but was wise enough to keep his mouth shut. If his friend thought he needed to use the maiden name of his wife, then he wouldn't question it.

Benson nodded and was about to leave when Gibbs held him back. "Wait. Did you find any other injuries on the boy?"

Gibbs didn't exactly say what he meant by 'other injuries', but Benson seemed to know what he was implying anyway. The man fidgeted under the intense stare Gibbs gave him and turned to Dr. Mallard for help, but found the old doctor to be doing the exact same thing.

"No. No I didn't."

Gibbs eyes turned into slits. He didn't like the hesitation in Benson's voice. "Are you sure doctor?"

Benson fidgeted for another second before his face turned bright red. He straightened and stared at the men in front of him with a furious scowl on his face. "Listen Agent Banks. You are not a family member so I'm not obliged to answer you. But I can tell you that there are no injuries on the boy _you_ would need to know about. If there were, I would tell you about it. I became a doctor to help people."

The words and his anger seemed genuine enough, but Gibbs couldn't help but notice that the man hadn't looked them in the eye during the last sentence. Ducky meanwhile, nodded at the distraught man. "We know that Dr. Benson. We're just..."

"Well, okay then." Benson interrupted him, a sharp edge in his voice. "Excuse me gentlemen, but I really have to go now." And with that he was nothing more than a white blur as he hurried away from them. Ducky and Gibbs stared after the man for a few seconds before Ducky broke the tense silence.

"I'd be right to assume that you still think there is something going on with the boy?"

Gibbs leaned against the wall, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You don't?"

The older man mirrored his stance and looked at the ceiling as if it held all answers. "Honestly Jethro? I'm not so sure anymore. We based our suspicion on that questionable bruise and you told me that he explained that to you. A fight with older boys is a pretty plausible explanation, don't you think?"

Gibbs nodded reluctantly.

"And you heard what Dr. Benson said." Ducky continued. "I don't believe that he lied to us Jethro. He seems like a good lad who cares for the boy. But as I already said, we can't be sure..."

Gibbs sighed heavily and closed his eyes. He knew that Ducky was right. All they had was a bad feeling. No evidence whatsoever. Nothing that could tell them if there was something sinister going on in the DiNozzo household. Gibbs had always prided himself on his good instincts but even he had to admit that they weren't always right. Maybe he'd read more into the whole thing than there really was. Just because he didn't like DiNozzo Sr., didn't mean that the man abused his son. If everyone he didn't like did that, the world would be a much darker place.

"I guess you are right."

Nonetheless, the nagging doubts were still there, in the back of his mind, and Gibbs couldn't seem to shake them off. Ducky seemed to sense his inner struggle. He put a hand on Gibbs shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.

"I've told the boy that he could come to you with anything that troubles him. Just speak to him Jethro. Maybe it'll tell you more."

Gibbs smiled back although it didn't quite reach his eyes. Yes, he would talk to Tony. Hopefully, whatever he heard, would convince him that the boy was telling the truth.

For better or worse.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ducky left to get something to drink as Gibbs entered Tony's room. The boy was on his side, facing away from the door, completely motionless. Gibbs closed the door as quietly as he could and wondered if the kid was asleep when he suddenly heard a heavy sigh.

"If you are here to head slap me again, then please don't. My headache is bad enough as it is."

Gibbs was impressed, to say the least. He didn't think that he'd made any noises that could have given him away. He smirked and approached the bed. "Then don't give me a reason."

The little Italian turned around to glare at him, but Gibbs could see the amused glint in his eyes. He was pleased to discover that the kid looked much better than a few hours ago. He was still sweating profusely, no doubt from the fever, and looked mighty tired. But at least he wasn't as pale as a ghost anymore.

The Agent lowered himself into the only chair available and gave the boy a not so subtle once-over. "How are you? Really?"

Tony averted his eyes and chewed on his lip. It irked him that he wasn't able to lie to Gibbs face. "I'm fine."

Gibbs snorted but didn't press the matter any further and just continued to stare at the boy in front of him. Tony began to feel a little bit suffocated and began to fiddle with the bedding.

"Is there something you wanted, Agent Gibbs?" he snapped. The words were sharper than he'd intended and Tony was momentarily afraid that Gibbs would misinterpret them and leave.

Ducky's words had confused him a great deal and the wish to see the Agent had almost been a physical pain by the time he'd heard the door open. He had hoped that Gibbs presence would help him come to a decision whether he should tell the man his big, ugly secret or not. But now that Gibbs was here, sitting right in front of him, Tony still didn't know what to do. That's why, no matter how uncomfortable his searching gaze made the boy, Gibbs couldn't leave. At least not yet.

"I have to process your statement. It is the last one I need before I can return to DC. " Gibbs didn't sound angry and Tony sighed in relief, although he also felt a little pang at the mention of Gibbs' departure.

Gibbs watched as Tony's stiff muscles slackened but the defensive look in his eyes was almost palpable. He didn't know what he'd done to make the boy so wary of him. Something about Tony was different. He seemed more insecure and almost... nervous? What had the boy to be nervous about, now that everything was over?

"Tell me exactly what happened after I left the motel this morning."

And Tony did. He told him about his argument with Agent Nickols and how he'd blackmailed the man into letting him come along. He also relayed how the two kidnappers knocked Nickols out and took the car.

Gibbs knew instantly that there was more to that than the boy told him and broached the subject again and again until Tony was more or less forced to admit that he could have left the car if he wanted. He also confessed, with a stupid grin on his face that was probably meant to be endearing, that the kidnappers had planned to toss him out somewhere along the way but that he'd _intentionally_ prevented that by mentioning his family name.

Gibbs' arm raised almost on its own, but before the hand could make contact with the back of his head Tony cried out "Headache!" and watched, oddly disappointed, how the hand stopped mid-slap and dropped back into Gibbs' lap.

The man was still glaring at him so Tony turned his gaze to the blanket that covered him and played with the seams while he told the rest of the story. He talked for what seemed like hours and was relieved that Gibbs didn't interrupt him. That way, it was easier to stay focused and he didn't have to look up to see the disappointment in Gibbs eyes either.

Because, although the girl was safe and sound, he was pretty sure that he'd somehow managed to screw something up. He always did, otherwise his father wouldn't have to punish him all the time, right? He had told Gibbs everything, even that he'd needed almost twenty minutes to remember the cell phone. Tony knew that he didn't have to reveal that sort of thing, that it wasn't important for the investigation, but he thought that Gibbs had the right to know _everything_. The man had been exceptionally kind towards him and Tony didn't want to repay him by lying. No matter what it was about.

He had finished talking a few minutes ago and was still waiting for Gibbs reaction. The room was silent except for Tony's labored breathing and the sound of Gibbs pen while it scratched over the note pad he'd used to write everything down. Before long, Gibbs stopped writing and put the pen and pad away. Tony could almost feel the man's eyes on him but he refused to look up.

"Tony. Look at me."

The words were soft-spoken but Tony didn't fail to notice that they had been a demand rather than a question. He squeezed his eyes shut for a second to prepare himself before he raised his head and dared to take a look into Gibbs face.

The Agent was regarding him with a curious look but his lips were formed into a little smile and his eyes didn't radiate disappointment or anger, but approval and pride.

"Good job kiddo." The Agent leaned forward and ruffled his hair like he'd done so many times before. Tony was a little bit embarrassed how much self control it took him not to flinch at the unexpected contact. "You'll make a damn fine investigator one day."

The little boy could do nothing but gape, before an unfamiliar feeling spread through his whole body like a drug, making him all warm and fuzzy inside.

The full-blown grin felt like it would tear his face into half but Tony didn't care. He was just too... elated to care about anything right now. He was dimly aware that his reaction could be considered exaggerated but Gibbs words had touched something inside of him, a longing for something he didn't even know he'd missed until now. He wanted to cry and to laugh and to scream and so many other things and he didn't even know why.

Anthony DiNozzo hadn't felt so much for a long, long time and now it all threatened to overwhelm him.

That's why he almost didn't hear Gibbs next words.

"Anthony. Is there something...anything, you want to tell me?"

Tony was confused and still a little bit preoccupied so he didn't notice the serious tone in Gibbs voice.

"What do you mean? I told you everything I remember."

"No, not that." The Agent sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I mean, is there anything you want to tell me about? I know Ducky already told you that you can always come to either of us. So... Is there anything that troubles you?"

Gibbs watched as Tony's face became utterly blank. For a second he thought he could see shock in Tony's features but then he blinked and it was gone. Now the boy just stared at him as if he was seeing him for the first time and it unsettled Gibbs. They stared at each other in silence before Gibbs couldn't take the tension any longer. He opened his mouth but before he could say something, _anything_, his cell phone went off.

Gibbs shot Tony an apologetic smile and looked at the caller ID. An odd expression flitted across his face before he stood up and made his way towards the door.

"I have to take this. It'll just take a few minutes." He stopped in the doorway and fixed Tony with one of his 'Do what I say or die' glares. "When I come back we'll continue our little conversation, 'kay?"

"'kay." Tony mumbled but Gibbs was already gone.

Tony stared at the closed door for a long time and took several deep breaths to calm his racing heart. There was nothing left of the warmth and excitement he'd felt just a few seconds ago. Now he only felt anxious and nauseous.

What had he done to arouse Gibbs suspicion? It was obvious that the Agent didn't know about the abuse, but he suspected something and that was bad enough. Tony couldn't afford a suspicious Agent Gibbs.

Tony groaned and buried his head in his hands.

Everything was happening so fast all of a sudden. As soon as Gibbs came back he would want an answer and Tony wasn't sure if he was ready to give it. Sure, the idea to tell Gibbs about his father had crossed his mind several times already, but he'd thought that he would have a little bit more time to make a decision.

Now he was_ forced_ to make that decision, whether he wanted to or not. Either he told Gibbs that everything was alright and let the man walk out of his life, or he finally allowed himself to break down and let someone else deal with the wrath of Mr. DiNozzo.

Tony had to admit - the latter possibility was rather tempting. To finally let someone else take control, to trust another person, to accept help. All that were things he wasn't familiar with anymore. Like old friends he'd missed dearly but hadn't seen for a very long time.

And Gibbs _would_ help, wouldn't he? He _would_ believe Tony and make sure that he was safe, right? And hadn't he vowed that he would never lie to Agent Gibbs? To the man that had treated him like... like a son?!

_'You'll make a damn fine investigator one day.'_

Tony finally knew why those words had thrilled him so much. Why it had felt like someone had lifted a dead weight off his chest when he'd heard them.

Gibbs words had been like a slap. But one of the good kind. The one a friend gave you when you have a nightmarish dream and cannot wake up yourself, tossing and turning and screaming in your bed.

Yes, Gibbs words had been a wake-up call.

They had shown him what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He'd finally found what he'd been searching for since his father had announced that, one day, he would take over the family business. He'd finally found a goal, a purpose.

Something that made living worthwhile again.

Anthony DiNozzo finally knew that there would be no room for DiNozzo Enterprises in his future. With a clarity that disturbed and yet reassured him, he knew that, without a doubt and no matter what, he would become an investigator. Just like Gibbs.

And wasn't it the job of an investigator to stop criminals and put them in jail? Criminals like his father? How could he even think about helping others if he couldn't even defend himself against his own father? And suddenly he knew what he had, what he wanted to do. He would tell Gibbs everything and trust the man to make his father pay for what he'd done.

It was like Gibbs had waited behind the door for Tony to make his decision, because not a second later the door opened to reveal a... _grinning_ Gibbs?

Tony's eyes widened when he realized that Gibbs wasn't just grinning. The man was practically beaming and when he moved closer to the bed, Tony could see that his face was flushed red and that his eyes were a little distant, like he was thinking about something else entirely. He looked genuinely happy.

Tony forgot his own nervousness and feigned a shocked and horrified look.

"Who are you and what have you done to Agent Gibbs?!"

Gibbs however, was too exited to be even remotely annoyed with Tony's question.

"That was my wife. She called from the hospital. I'm the father of a little girl."

Gibbs was still a little bit out of it. He'd known for months that his wife was pregnant and yet it had never been so real as in the moment Shannon had told him that she'd given birth to a beautiful little girl. She had sounded exhausted but happy while she described their little daughter to her husband. They hadn't decided on a name yet and Shannon wanted to wait until Gibbs got home so they could choose it together. Gibbs was vaguely disappointed that he hadn't been able to be there during the birth, but he didn't dwell on it too long. All that mattered was that his two girls were doing well. He couldn't wait to gather them into his arms and hold his little baby. He'd already informed Ducky who was currently trying to book them a flight on the next best plane back to DC.

He looked down at the boy he'd become quite fond of during the last few days and only hesitated a second before he sat down again. Gibbs was very well aware that he risked to miss his flight but he'd offered the kid his help and he wouldn't go back on his words. Even if that meant that he would have to wait a little bit longer to see his daughter.

Tony on the other hand, felt like everything came crushing down around his ears.

He was happy for Gibbs, no question there. Tony was sure that the Agent would be a wonderful father. But the mention of his wife and child had evoked many faces from his past. Faces of people his father had destroyed, because they'd been in his way.

First and foremost he remembered Mrs. Briggs whose only fault had been to talk to his father and who had been homeless and unemployed just a week later.

If he told Gibbs about the abuse, the man would definitely do more than just talk to Mr. DiNozzo. And while Tony was pretty sure that Gibbs was strong enough to stand his ground in front of his father, the boy wasn't so sure if he would be able to protect his family as well.

Anthony DiNozzo Sr. was a ruthless man who took every opportunity he got to destroy other people's lives. But above all, his father was a man with connections. Maybe he even had friends with NCIS. Maybe he could arrange it so Gibbs lost his job.

Gibbs loved his job - everyone could see that.

And hell, loosing his job would be the least of his problems if he made Anthony DiNozzo Sr. his enemy. Gibbs wasn't superman. He wouldn't be able to protect Tony _and_ his own family. Someone was bound to get hurt if his father was involved and Tony couldn't endure the thought of Gibbs putting his own family at risk just for him.

In his delight and excitement he'd forgotten about the horrible consequences his revelation could have.

Tony ducked his head and evaded Gibbs' eyes. He suddenly felt ugly and selfish and stupid. He'd forgotten about the most important thing an investigator had to ensure. Not getting the bad guys into jail, but protecting the innocent.

Even though the man probably wouldn't agree with him, Tony knew that he had to protect Gibbs and his new family. And if that meant Tony keeping his mouth shut and never seeing the man again, he would do it.

Even if it broke his heart.

Gibbs cleared his throat. "About before-"

Tony interrupted him. "Yeah, actually... there is something that bothers me."

Gibbs leaned forward and licked his lips in nervous anticipation. "What is it?"

The boy seemed to brace himself for something before a cocky smirk settled on his lips. "I'm worried about _you_ Agent Gibbs. I mean, how will you solve your next case without me?"

Gibbs was a little taken aback but couldn't hide the relief he felt when he answered. "You mean without someone who doesn't listen to my orders and gets himself in trouble every time I turn my back on him?"

Tony puffed his cheeks and crossed his arms, which looked quite awkward with the way he held his injured wrist. "Hey! I did more than that, didn't I?!"

Gibbs shrugged. "If you say so." He eyed the boy carefully and was slightly amused to see him pout. "You sure you're alright."

Tony pouted for another second before it turned into a soft smile. "Yeah, I'm alright."

The following silence wasn't tense, but comfortable and relaxed, and Gibbs breathed a silent sigh of relief. The boy seemed to be alright and in hindsight Gibbs felt pretty stupid for expecting anything else. Tony was a healthy, intelligent little boy, full of the joys of life. His complete lack of self-preservation was worrying, but nothing he could change. Gibbs had the impression that it was just a trait of his personality, something that made Tony, Tony. And even this Dr. Benson had said that there was nothing wrong with the kid and while he didn't necessarily rely on what other people told him, Gibbs wanted to believe that Tony trusted him enough to tell him if there was something wrong.

It was weird but the two of them had built a special kind of bond over the past few days. Gibbs couldn't, and wouldn't, believe that there was any reason why Tony wouldn't confide in him if something was seriously wrong, so he pushed that uneasy feeling that remained away until it was nothing more than a shadow in the back of his mind.

The door opened to reveal Ducky who nodded at Tony and smiled at Gibbs. "I managed to get us on the next flight, but I'm afraid we'll have to leave now if we want to make it in time."

Before Gibbs could say anything, Tony was already offering his most dazzling smile and his outstretched hand. "Well then, I guess this means goodbye Agent Gibbs, Doctor Mallard."

Ducky immediately took the little hand in both of his own and shook it warmly. "It was a pleasure my boy. Maybe we'll see each other again, although I hope that it'll be under different circumstances."

Tony laughed at that and nodded. "One can only hope, doctor."

Ducky made room for Gibbs who had written something on a piece of paper while the two had said their goodbye's. Instead of taking Tony's hand, he placed one of his own on Tony's head while the other thrust the piece of paper into his waiting fingers.

"That's my number. Call me if you need something. No matter what time it is, okay?"

Tony stared at the numbers and swallowed. He kept his head down to hide the lone tear in the corner of his eye.

"I will Agent Gibbs. Thank you."

The Agent nodded and followed Ducky who'd already left. In the doorway he stopped one last time and looked back at the boy.

"You'll do." he grumbled with an almost unnoticeable smile on his lips.

Only when the door closed behind the Agent did Tony allow the lone tear to fall.

"Yeah, I will."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

One day later, Rosa arrived at the hospital to bring him home. She immediately noticed that there was something different about the boy, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

The drive home was made in silence.

Two weeks later, Anthony DiNozzo finally found the courage to tell his father that he wouldn't take over the family business and that he wanted to become an investigator instead.

The punishment was made in silence.

Three months later, Anthony DiNozzo senior finally realized that he wouldn't be able to beat his son into submission this time, and decided that the little bastard wasn't worth the trouble.

The papers were signed in silence.

And little Anthony DiNozzo, disowned at the age of twelve and sent to military school, couldn't help but smile while the cab Rosa had called for him, took him away from his old life.

The laughter reverberated through the car, piercing through the silence.

**TBC**

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Please note: THIS IS NOT THE END! THERE IS STILL **ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO**!!!

_**A/N:**_ Before you start to throw rotten tomatoes at me, please listen!

I know that most of you wanted a different outcome for this story and believe me, everytime I read something like 'Oh I can't wait until Gibbs finds out about the abuse' or 'Hopefully Tony will tell Gibbs soon', my heart almost stopped and I always thought: "OMG, they are soooo gonna hate me!"

**BUT**, I have a **reason** for **EVERYTHING** I did in this story, thus I also have a reason for letting Gibbs leave without finding out about the abuse and this reason will be revealed in the following sequels **(yeah you heard right, plural)** "Their Day in Baltimore" and "The Day After The Day" so please, please, PLEASE trust me with this one okay?! It's all going to be okay!

In case some of you think that Gibbs would never do something like that (just leave, that is) please remember that this is a 15 years younger version of our beloved stubborn Agent. It was my intention to show that he wasn't as experienced and that his gut-feeling wasn't as developed as we know it from the series. And hey, if a doctor tells you that the kid is okay you basically believe him don't you? Benson is a weak and cowardice character, but a good liar.

Concerning Tony knowing about Gibbs wife and daughter and Kelly's birth in general: I always said that this story and timeline is slightly AU. The operative word is 'slightly'...

I'm sorry if some of you are highly disappointed right now but this was planned even before I started writing this fic and I think you have to stay true to your plot, even if another ending would have been more popular. You have to be able to read your own story in the end and be able to say: "Yeah, I like what I did here..."

And hey, I DID get Tony away from his father pretty quick, didn't I?! *nervous glances around the crowd*

Until the next and final chapter of "The Day Before The Day"!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Still not mine

**A/N**: Thank you so so so much for your encouraging reviews! I was literally stunned by the positive feedback I received

This story is **finally complete** and it was an awesome ride, wasn't it? I'm surprised how popular this little experiment got over the past few months! Thank you for your support, reviews and PM's! They made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, every single one of them!

And of course I'd like to thank my Beta **Keahi Spitfire (aka. ktwesterna)** for the great beta-work! The second half of this story would have been so much harder to get out without you! I'm deeply indebted to you and can't wait to work with you on the sequels!

* * *

**The Day Before The Day**

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Chapter 16

(or: The Epilogue That Wanted To Be A Prologue)

Homicide Detective Michael Boston spread the pictures over the tabletop and couldn't help but wince when the victim's lifeless eyes stared back at him. He would never get used to that. That emptiness. The complete lack of life. It still managed to make his blood run cold.

The detective studied the photos for a long time and tried to ignore the niggling feeling in the back of his mind.

The dead man was lying on his back, with his arms and legs spread wide on either side of his body. His head was tilted forward so that his face was partially hidden by chestnut hair. He was completely naked and Mike could see that the man was well built. He'd obviously done some kind of sport and taken care of his appearance - Mike could still see traces of an old manicure - but now, in death, his body was covered in cuts and bruises and his nails were dirty and split. Most noticeable however, were the dark, blue bruises that adorned his neck. Their ME suspected that the cause of death was strangulation, but he couldn't be sure until he'd preformed a full autopsy.

The married couple that had found the vic during one of their walks through the park had been beyond horrified. Mike could certainly understand their shock but he had to admit that, all things considered, he couldn't say that he hadn't seen worse during his thirty years as a cop.

It only bothered him that - since the man had been found naked - they hadn't found anything that could tell them who they were dealing with. No wallet, ergo no identification. Mike hated it when they had no name. It made this job even more depressing than it already was.

But there was something else about the case that worried him deeply. Something that made his skin crawl every time he looked at the pictures taken at the crime scene. And it wasn't just the fact that his boss was breathing down his neck because this was the second victim this month that had been found like that. It also had nothing to do with the press that was already speaking about a serial killer and pestering him with questions he couldn't answer.

No, what bothered him, made him feel outright queasy in fact, was the resemblance the two victims bared with a certain young man he knew.

A man with brown hair and green eyes.

A man that was his partner and currently standing on the other side of the table, staring at the photos much like Mike had done just a few seconds ago.

The seasoned detective wondered if he should voice his worries, but decided against it. His partner wasn't stupid. He had probably already seen the similarities and Mike knew that the kid would just shrug it off should he mention it.

So he didn't.

The boy, and he would always be a boy in Mike's eyes, no matter how many dark looks he received for that, had been his partner for almost two years and Mike began to wonder if he should look for a new one.

Not that he wanted to! He'd become quite fond of the boy and they were a good team, but everyone in the department knew that the kid didn't stay much longer than two years in one place.

Mike really didn't know why this time would be any different.

The other detectives didn't like the kid all that much.

_'Trouble maker'_, they called him.

_'Can't follow rules'_, they said.

There were even rumours that his old man was pretty rich and that Daddy's money was the only reason why he'd become a homicide detective.

But Mike knew that there was no truth behind those rumours... well, except for the _'can't follow rules'_ thing, but that particular quirk had saved them a couple of times already, so Mike really didn't feel like he could hold that against him.

He had to admit though, that the first few weeks of their partnership had been a little bit tense. Mostly because, at first, he _had_ listened to those rumours. He'd made the boy's life unnecessarily hard when he wasn't just ignoring him, giving him tasks that not even the greenest rookie had to do.

His new partner had taken it all without complaint, manhandling the tasks with an accuracy that they didn't deserve. He couldn't say if it had been plain stubbornness, but Mike found himself growing more and more impressed with the boy. And one day, Mike couldn't even tell you which exactly if you asked him, he'd made his first attempt to really get to know the young man that would cover his back during operations.

And he'd liked what he'd seen.

It hadn't taken long before the old detective had felt guilty enough to apologize for his less than civil behaviour and the boy had forgiven him with a disturbing amount of ease and a little bit too eagerly, as if he was afraid that Mike would change his mind.

But just because Mike had realized his mistakes didn't mean that the others had as well. During the last two years Mike had stayed his only friend and although the kid acted like it didn't bother him, the older man didn't quite believe him. The boy was all smoke and mirrors, always cocky and laughing, but if you took the time to actually watch him, his loneliness was almost palpable.

Mike knew that the young man had no reason to stay in Baltimore any longer than he'd done in Peoria or Philadelphia, but he certainly wished that it would be different. He hated it when he lost a partner. Especially a good one.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door and he turned around to see a young officer enter the room, a piece of paper in his hands.

"Detective Boston. We got a match on the fingerprints."

Mike's mood brightened immediately. The man would finally get his name back.

"Who is it?"

"Name's Corporal Lance Sperr. He served on the USS Hopper and was here on a vacation. A couple of years back, he was involved in a bar fight, that's why he's in our databank."

His partner's face snapped up and Mike could see a gleam in his eyes that he'd never seen before.

"A marine? Are you sure?"

The young officer sniffed at the question but nodded anyway. Mike thanked him and waited until he was gone before he turned to his partner.

"What is it Tony?"

The young man, Detective Anthony D. DiNozzo, barely heard the question. He reached into his pocket and fingered the old piece of paper he always carried with him without taking it out. He didn't need to see the numbers that were written on it.

He knew them by heart.

"Hey DiNozzo!" Mike waved a hand in front of his face. "Anybody home?"

Tony smirked a little bit at his partners antics but it didn't last long. "Our second victim was a Marine, Mike. That means we'll have to share jurisdiction."

"Share jurisdiction?" Mike frowned at the possibility. "With whom?"

Tony's answer wasn't more than a shaky breath, but fortunately, his partner didn't seem to notice.

"NCIS."

The name evoked so many memories and feelings that Tony felt like he was being swallowed by a huge wave. Mike's voice _("NCIS? I've heard that somewhere before...hmm")_ seemed to fade until it was nothing more than an annoying buzz in the back of his mind.

Tony's hands were beginning to shake with anticipation, excitement... and fear.

This was the moment he'd been waiting for. The moment he had imagined when he was hiding from the world, in an empty classroom of Rhode Island Military School, feeling alone and abandoned.

But it was also the moment he had dreaded the most. The moment that had always filled him with anxiety and insecurity every time he thought about it.

There had been many days, mostly bad days, when he'd already dialed the first few numbers, but his self-doubts had always prevented him from actually calling the man.

15 years had passed.

A lot happened in 15 years.

A lot changed in 15 years.

Tony, for his part, had changed a lot and he was pretty certain that the man had as well.

What if the man decided that he couldn't be bothered with Tony anymore? Or worse, what if he didn't even remember him?

Tony was terribly afraid that his need for attention and love back then had skewed his memories of the man and that another encounter would taint them somehow. The time he'd spend with the man and the doctor was one of the few good memories from his childhood. He desperately wanted them to be true.

"So." Mike drawled and pulled Tony out of his thoughts. "I guess we'll have to call those NCIS guys." It sounded more like a question and the Italian knew that his partner was less than thrilled about the idea.

Tony's hand hovered over the phone and his eyes shifted to the photos of Sperr's corpse. Corporal Lance Sperr had died a slow and painful death. Much like their first victim, Alan Lowe. Tony would never forget Mrs. Lowe's chocked off screams after he'd told her that her husband would never come home again.

His resolve hardened.

This wasn't about him and his feelings. This was about the victims and their family. They had priority and they deserved the best. And the best was, is and will always be, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

15 years after their first encounter, Anthony DiNozzo took a deep breath, picked up the phone and dialed.

**END...**

* * *

**A/N**: Aren't I a bitch? I leave you with a cliffhanger at the end of the story! *evil laughter*

But I guess that the title of this chapter makes much more sense now. This chapter could also be considered a prologue for the 2nd installment "Their Day in Baltimore". I posted a short summary of the sequels on my profile. I'll try to not let you wait too long for the next installment, so watch out for it! :)

Thanks again! You guys were great!


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